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Susana Somali, center, carries a dog called 'White' at Pejaten Shelter, a home to more than 1,400 dogs which she runs, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, July 2, 2020. The number of dogs at the shelter has been increasing since the COVID-19 outbreak started in Indonesia as many canine owners gave up their pets due to economic difficulties they face due to the pandemic.(AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

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Susana Somali, center, reacts as dogs rush over to welcome her, upon her arrival at Pejaten Shelter, a home to more than 1,400 dogs which she runs, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, July 2, 2020. The number of dogs at the shelter has been increasing since the COVID-19 outbreak started in Indonesia as many canine owners gave up their pets due to economic difficulties they face due to the pandemic. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

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Susana Somali, center, talks on her mobile phone as she stands among dogs at Pejaten Shelter, a home to more than 1,400 dogs which she runs, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, July 2, 2020. The number of dogs at the shelter has been increasing since the COVID-19 outbreak started in Indonesia as many canine owners gave up their pets due to economic difficulties they face due to the pandemic. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

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A worker stands at the gate of Pejaten Shelter, a home to more than 1,400 dogs, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, July 2, 2020. Many of the dogs are rescued from the street, and some also rescued from butchers that sell dog meat. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

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A worker feeds medicine to a dog at Pejaten Shelter in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, July 2, 2020. Located in 5,000 square meters of land in South Jakarta, Pejaten Shelter is a place for more than 1,400 dogs, most of them are street dogs, while larger breeds such as pitbulls and rottweilers are kept in cages. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

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A worker holds a puppy at Pejaten Shelter in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, July 2, 2020. Located in 5,000 square meters of land in South Jakarta, Pejaten Shelter is a place for more than 1,400 dogs, most of them are street dogs, while larger breeds such as pitbulls and rottweilers are kept in cages. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

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A worker load bricks onto a wheelbarrow as dogs look on at Pejaten Shelter in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, July 2, 2020. Located in 5,000 square meters of land in South Jakarta, Pejaten Shelter is a place for more than 1,400 dogs, most of them are street dogs, while larger breeds such as pitbulls and rottweilers are kept in cages. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

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Workers play with a puppy at Pejaten Shelter in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, July 2, 2020. Located on half a hectare (1.2 acres) of land in Indonesia's capital, the shelter is now home to about 1,400 dogs. It's a number that has been growing along with the economic hardship caused by the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

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Susana Somali gives biscuits to dogs at Pejaten Shelter which she runs, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, July 2, 2020. The shelter is a place for more than 1,000 dogs, a number that has been growing along with the economic hardship caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Somali said that she has taken in hundreds of dogs since the pandemic began, and many of those are directly related to the fallout from COVID-19.(AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

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Workers clean up on a driveway inundated by water following a heavy rain at Pejaten Shelter in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, July 2, 2020. The shelter is a place for more than 1,000 dogs, a number that has been growing along with the economic hardship caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Susana Somali, a pathologist who runs the shelter said that she has taken in hundreds of dogs since the pandemic began, and many of those are directly related to the fallout from COVID-19. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

AP PHOTOS: Indonesia shelter sees surge in abandoned dogs

By Associated Press AP

PUBLISHED 11:47 PM ET Jul. 21, 2020

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The barking of the dogs at the entrance of Pejaten Shelter grows louder as they rush to welcome Susana Somali, the 55-year old pathologist who runs the place.

Located on half a hectare (1.2 acres) of land in Indonesia's capital, the shelter is now home to 1,400 dogs. It's a number that has been growing along with the economic hardship caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Somali says she has taken in at least 700 dogs since the pandemic began, and she estimates 250 those are directly related to the fallout from COVID-19.

She has been running the shelter in south Jakarta for 11 years and normally takes in about 120 dogs a year, often canines rescued from the dog meat trade.

Almost of every corner of the shelter is now filled with dogs. Many of them, mostly street dogs, roam freely. Some larger breeds such as pitbulls and rottweilers are kept in cages.

Somali says there is little chance most of them will be adopted.

“If I take them, there is the possibility to extend their life,” she says. “But if I just let them outside, it will be the end for them.”

Somali has funded the shelter herself, but she too is feeling the financial pinch from the pandemic and has been seeking donations on social media.

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