It’s a dog’s day in Sella Kataragama Non-profit organization 'Adopt a Dog in Sri Lanka’ held a daycamp to neuter and vaccinate stray dogs in the hope of controlling their numbers
‘Adopt a Dog in Sri Lanka’ held a second sterilization camp in Sella Kataragama. This was all part of their drive to effectively cover one area of the country at a time. 106 dogs were given the rabies vaccination and 22 dogs were treated for special ailments such as TVT (transmissible venereal tumours), skin rashes, pyometra (accumulation of pus in the uterus) and eye conditions. The two-day camp was held on March 3 and 4 at the same location the team held their first camp, last November.
Neutered dogs were given red collars and yoghurt treats. The strays were earnotched to be identifiable in the future and returned to the places where they were picked up from. Surgeries were conducted by veterinary surgeons experienced in conducting CNVR (catch, neuter, vaccinate, release) programmes - recognized as the most humane and effective method of controlling stray dogs in the country.
'Adopt a Dog in Sri Lanka’, a non-profit organization, chiefly focuses on re-homing and has, to-date, re-homed over 270 homeless dogs, rescued approximately 40, sterilized over 300 and vaccinated over 400 dogs, all within the few months since they got started. Operating chiefly through facebook, their page was founded by three friends, Oshadie Korale, Megali Nanayakkara, and Andrew Jebaraj, who are now joined by a number of enthusiastic volunteers of all ages. The group is open to all who wish to support the cause, adopt a pet, volunteer or find homes for homeless animals.
The programme was funded with the donations of sponsors. “There are always people out there who are willing to help, even in a small way. It is with their help that we were able to make this second camp happen,” said Oshadie Korale, co-founder of the group, who, though currently abroad, still manages to oversee almost all their activities. The team was happy with the positive response from people of the area and that the free service was welcomed at Sella Kataragama.
The team intends to host sterilization camps in more rural areas of the country where people cannot afford these surgeries and treatments.