Like a lot of developing countries Sri Lanka has a huge street dog problem - an estimated 3 million dogs roam this small islands' streets. Of course many of them are happy and healthy - and many of them although not actually "owned" are part of the community.
The biggest issue of course is lack of neutering - the sheer volume of dogs means that problems occur and disease is rife.This has a major impact on human life through the transmission of rabies - Sri Lanka has one of the highest death rates in the world.
Government resources are stretched due to the economic problems the country has - therefore street dog care is often provided by NGO's
I visited a shelter called Animals SOS www.animalsos-sl.com on the South Coast of Sri Lanka to see what was happening...
The charity has a big compound about 10 miles from the coast amongst lovely paddy fields. There are over 1000 dogs here. The concept of pet ownership is not a normal part of Sri Lankan culture and as a result adoption rates are low
The charity have opted to keep most of the dogs they rescue here at the sanctuary which of course means large feeding and wage bills. In other countries I have been to a policy of Trap Neuter Release (TNR) is adopted. Dogs are brought to the shelter - vaccinated, neutered and then released back where they were picked up. This means the charities' shelter doesn't become overcrowded and funds are directed at neutering as many dogs as possible
While I was in Ella in the middle of Sri Lanka I spotted a Government Veterinary Office and popped in to have a look round.
They are mostly concerned with large animal health - cattle, sheep, pigs and goats - diseases like Foot and Mouth and Brucellosis are still a major problem here.
They also do a little bit of small animal work from their outdoor consultation room
I liked to innovative use of a drip to water the plants and used vaccine bottles to make a model of the practice! Obviously some days are quiet!
The biggest issue of course is lack of neutering - the sheer volume of dogs means that problems occur and disease is rife.This has a major impact on human life through the transmission of rabies - Sri Lanka has one of the highest death rates in the world.
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| Mission Rabies has done a lot to reduce the incidence in developing countries Link to Mission Rabies Sri Lanka |
Government resources are stretched due to the economic problems the country has - therefore street dog care is often provided by NGO's
I visited a shelter called Animals SOS www.animalsos-sl.com on the South Coast of Sri Lanka to see what was happening...
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| Animals SOS |
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| Lots of shelter from the hot sun |
The charity have opted to keep most of the dogs they rescue here at the sanctuary which of course means large feeding and wage bills. In other countries I have been to a policy of Trap Neuter Release (TNR) is adopted. Dogs are brought to the shelter - vaccinated, neutered and then released back where they were picked up. This means the charities' shelter doesn't become overcrowded and funds are directed at neutering as many dogs as possible
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| Operating Room |
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| In action!
An area where I struggled was the shelters' non-euthanasia policy.
From the Animal SOS Volunteer Guide ....
"Sri Lanka is a Buddhist country so euthanasia is very frowned upon. Our
charity/sanctuary operates a strict no-kill policy unless an animal is
suffering and beyond all help. Most animals arrive in the most appalling states
and in western veterinary practices many of these animals would be euthanased on arrival"
Of course I respect cultural differences but in my opinion having a this kind of policy is too inflexible and can lead to shelter animals having an unacceptably poor quality of life. Sadly I made the decision to cut short my time at Animals SOS - as a vet I am privileged to have the ability to end a suffering pets' life peacefully by euthanasia - to have the right taken away was something I couldn't accept.. |
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| Paralysed dogs being exercised in carts. |
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| Long term paralysed resident - pressure sores can be a problem... |
They are mostly concerned with large animal health - cattle, sheep, pigs and goats - diseases like Foot and Mouth and Brucellosis are still a major problem here.
They also do a little bit of small animal work from their outdoor consultation room
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| Interesting photo from the Hindu north - where cows are revered... |
