Article contentMANILA — Hundreds of animal lovers in the Philippines had their pets blessed via a drive-through ceremony on Sunday to mark World Animal Day and the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, forgoing the usual fanfare due to COVID-19. This was the second straight year that organizers had to hold a drive-through ceremony to mark World Animal day – celebrated worldwide to recognize animal rights and welfare – to ensure the safety of the animals and owners. Try refreshing your browser, or Philippines pets receive blessings in drive-through ceremony Back to videoThe Philippines has recorded more than 2.5 million COVID-19 cases and more than 38,000 deaths and is one of Asia’s worst-affected countries in terms of casualties and economic losses. More than 500 animals of different shapes and sizes were blessed during the ceremony. (Reporting by Adrian Portugal, Writing by Karen Lema; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)

Source: National Post October 03, 2021 11:48 UTC