Animal SOS Sri Lanka is a registered UK charity that looks after the welfare of street animals. Kim Cooling is its founder. Twenty years ago when she visited Sri Lanka she saw the plight of stray cats and dogs and established the charity. They rescue, restore and rehome. She wanted to give them a home where they would be taken good care of. Today SOS Sri Lanka boasts of a four acre no kill land in the South of the Island, which is a far cry from the suffocating and over crowded shelters found elsewhere.
In their able care are over 800 destitute cats and dogs. Most of which have been nursed back from serious injury and disease. Animal SOS Sri Lanka are open every day of the year and has an on-site veterinary clinic which also employs a resident vet as well as other local staff to help care for our sanctuary animals.
They offer refuge, veterinary care to sick and injured strays, rehabilitation includes physiotherapy and hydrotherapy in the ocean – yep, them doggies get to take a dip in the sea and do their doggy paddling; local feeding programs for starving strays and adoption and homing schemes.
Animal SOS Sri Lanka provides weekly outreach programs in the local villages where health checks, sterilization and vaccination of cats and dogs against rabies, provide worming and other anti-parasitic treatments, treat wounds, tumours, infections and skin conditions. They also provide animal welfare educational materials and give out free collars and leads to prevent painful neck injuries caused by tethering with ropes and wire.
The charity helps humans as well as animals by providing employment opportunities with around thirty paid staff. Much love and much effort is put into reducing the risk of rabies and the suffering of animals through their weekly vaccination and sterilization programs. If you want to pitch in to help, all you folk in Matara and thereabouts, help them by adopting cats and dogs which frees up space in the sanctuary. So that they could accommodate other strays who may need the care as well. The charity has strict homing protocols which includes a home check and contract. Free health care and vaccinations are provided to all homed animals to ensure they have long and healthy lives.
To help, donations are vital to keep Animal SOS afloat. Send in your donations to: Bank-Commercial Bank, Galle Fort Branch. A/C Name -Animal SOS Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. A/C NO – 1050013061. You can also volunteer to help at the sanctuary are always welcome they can discuss with our manager Naomi and adopt one of the homeless dogs and give them a kind home.
Pictures courtesy Animal SOS Sri Lanka
