Tonga’s dog population surges as coronavirus restrictions keep foreign vets out of the country

While dog shelters were left empty and people in Australia had to wait months for a dog due to the surge in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, Tonga’s main island of Tongatapu has had the opposite problem.

The closure of international borders meant foreign vets from South Pacific Animal Welfare (SPAW) couldn’t run their free desexing programs in the country — and without a qualified vet in Tonga, there are now estimated to be more than 20,000 dogs on Tongatapu alone.

Angela Glover, vice-president of the Tonga Animal…