The Malaysia Animal Association said many pets have been abandoned by their owners, who could not afford to feed them anymore, since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“These cats and dogs are part of the family. So it is disheartening to see these pets out on the street looking for food,” its president, Arie Dwi Andika said in a statement.

He went on to plead with the public to keep a lookout for their neighbours’ pets and to check whether they had enough food supply.

“Such awareness is vital to overcome this problem of pets being abandoned and at the same time to curb cruelty to animals.”

The “red flag campaign” comes in the wake of a recent social media campaign calling for people to fly a white flag to signal to others that they are in need of immediate assistance, especially in terms of food, as the country remains in lockdown indefinitely.