New York's great guinea pig give away

[Catherine]

New York City is overwhelmed with guinea pigs....and a lot of other small animals. 
People bought and adopted pets in large numbers during the pandemic lockdowns. Now that they are back to work and prices are soaring, people want/need to give up their pets. Mostly it is small animals that they are surrendering. Shelters are overwhelmed.
It has reached such a crisis point that the city is considering a ban on the sale of guinea pigs.



https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/01/nyreg...begun.html

I can see their point about banning the sale of guinea pigs. A box of 22 piggies was found in the lobby of a Staten Island Apartment.
They were all ages and five of them were pregnant. That is a lot of guinea pigs for any shelter to take in at once. Since people are giving them up, it is not easy to find homes for them.
Animals are even being found in the parks where people have released them. It is illegal to release pets, but people still do it.

This problem is also happening in England. 
People's commitment to their small pets is not as strong as their commitment to their dogs and cats.
People find it easier to let go of a guinea pig than a dog.