Coronavirus travel restrictions have separated many pets from their owners.
A combination of border closures and flight cancellations have left over 1,000 pets stranded around the world, Reuters reports.
United and other major airlines temporarily stopped their pet programs in March, saying they couldn’t be offered safely or weren’t viable financially during the pandemic. American Airlines and Alaska Airlines continue to fly pets within the U.S. on certain routes.
A few companies, such as IAG Cargo, continue to transport pets internationally, according to Reuters.
Reuters interviewed Frances Hayter and her husband Alan, who worked in Houston and had to leave their cat, Indigo, there when they returned to their home country of Australia. No airline is currently flying pets to Australia.
Indigo is staying with a veterinarian as the couple try to get the cat home. At this point, it appears it will be an expensive and time-consuming process.
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