24th May 2007

Imagine a place where puppies are placed in gas chambers or have their eyes pecked out by crows on a rubbish tip. A place where dogs are beaten, doused with fuel, mutilated, stoned, scalded with boiling water or stabbed with pole syringes carrying strychnine. A place where pet dogs spend their entire lives tethered outside, often with rope embedded in the necks, or imprisoned in small cages until they die. Imagine a place where cattle are pickaxed to death, many giving birth during the carnage, whist others facing the same brutal fate, watch and wait in silence for their turn. This horror of all horrors is the daily reality for the animals of Sri Lanka. 

As well as humans, the strays also have to contend with blood parasite diseases caused by ticks and mosquitos-Filaria, Ehrlichiosis and Babesia.  They have no hope of being blood tested or treated. They have no hope of being treated when they are injured on the roads and can survive for days howling in agony by the roadside with fractured spines and maggot infested wounds. No-one will help them, and many locals stone injured and disabled animals.

Animal SOS Sri Lanka is a newly formed organisation which will soon be a registered charity. We offer the only hope for the animals of Sri Lanka, a country where animal welfare is non existent. The vision is Kim Cooling's, a former nurse and Social Worker, who has worked tirelessly with her friend Morag Longmuir to save as many strays as they can and to highlight the terrible plight of animals in Sri Lanka. Kim and Morag receive no outside funding and work full time to pay for their rescue work during their holidays. Kim's work is widely respected in Sri Lanka and articles about her endeavours have been reported in national newspapers in Sri Lanka as well as the UK Lanka Times here in the UK. 

Our aims are-

To purchase some land and build a well equipped veterinary clinic for the strays who are suffering and dying by the roadside. Our British trained Veterinary nurse will manage the clinic and many British vets have offered to assist us with the sterilisation programme. We will also employ a resident Sri Lankan vet and other local staff to care for the animals.

To initiate a humane canine control programme through sterilisation

To initiate a vaccination programme

To initiate an education programme aiming at the younger generations to change the cycle of inherent cruelty, indifference and ignorance that prevails and compounds the animals suffering

To have an adoption scheme for puppies who are dumped on garbage tips or in the road. Many pups have their eyes pecked out by the crows.

To have a refuge for some disabled dogs who are often stoned and scalded by locals

To lobby the government to bring about effective legislation to protect all animals from the terrible suffering they presently endure.

We estimate that we will require around £65,000-£75,000 for the land and building works, and our annual running costs will be around £30, 000. To date we have less than £1000, and we have donated some of this ourselves to qualify for charity status. 

Sadly, the large wealthy charities with their own agendas get all the funds. The small hands on groups making the greatest difference, struggle to survive.

We urgently require funds to make this vision possible. It really is the only hope for Sri Lanka's animals. We also require a celebrity to act as our Patron, which will raise the profile of our organisation.

Please, please help us.

We have many success stories-the dogs Kim and Morag have saved from death and terrible suffering.