Background

On the 29th July 2023, a sizeable clinic was held to treat suffering street dogs in the Lower Blackwood area of Beragala, near to Haputale, Badulla district in Sri Lanka. This clinic caught, sterilised (neutered) and vaccinated 43 local street dogs, and vaccinated a further 25 dogs brought by local households. The vaccinations were for rabies and for mange. The clinic was held to help reduce the numbers and suffering of street dogs in this beautiful hill country area of Sri Lanka.

The clinic was organised by the local animal activists Chitra Saunders (Jayasinghe) and Marie Chothrani with the help of Shamini Rathnayake, a national activist from Colombo. A team of veterinaries attended along with a medical officer of health from Haldummulla who gave the vaccinations for rabies.

The clinic was paid for by the charity money raised by Professor Mark Saunders in walking the length of Sri Lanka from Dondra Head to Point Pedro in March-April 2023; a task supported by his wife Chitra. This walk was 480 miles long, had 39,600 feet of ascent and took 35 days to complete. It marked the first time that an end-to-end walk of Sri Lanka had been achieved to our knowledge. The charity donations were made by supporters in the UK and in Sri Lanka. Further information about this fundraising appeal and its outcome may be seen here: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/mark-saunders-7?utm_term=NmRz4D29Z .

The clinic held in July 2023 was an important first step to help eliminate the suffering of street dogs around Beragala. However, follow-up clinics are needed urgently in order to reach and to treat more of the suffering street dogs in this Sri Lanka hill country region. The appalling suffering of these dogs can only be controlled and eliminated through more sterilisation clinics. Hence this further fundraising appeal where we request your help to raise funds to pay for two more sizeable sterilisation and vaccination clinics.

Why do Sri Lanka street dogs need help?

If you visit Sri Lanka you will notice the large number of stray dogs that roam the streets in every town and village. Estimates put the total number of street dogs countrywide at between 3 and 6 million. The overpopulation and suffering of these strays has become a serious issue for Sri Lanka. Most street dogs suffer from malnutrition, untreated diseases and injuries (often road traffic accidents) (Figure 1). Unfortunately, many locals regard street dogs as pests and either ignore or mistreat them. Unwanted puppies are just abandoned at the roadside. Small international charities are trying to help but their efforts are focussed mainly around the major cities in Sri Lanka (Colombo, Kandy, Galle) rather than in the country’s beautiful but less accessible hill country region.

Figure 1. A common sight in Sri Lanka - street dogs suffering from skin diseases, malnutrition and injury. (Photographs taken by Mark Saunders, 2023).

We care because we are both dog lovers. Chitra (my wife) was brought up in the Sri Lanka Hill Country and visits the area regularly. She has rescued, cared and brought-up four street dogs that were left abandoned as puppies. Dogs in Sri Lanka need urgent help. The numbers and suffering of these animals can only be improved by implementing vaccination and sterilisation (neutering) programs together with education efforts to change the attitudes of locals to animal welfare.

How will your donated money help?

Your kind donations will go directly to pay for two further full-day vaccination and sterilisation clinics for street dogs near to Beragala. The cost of catching, neutering and vaccinating one street dog is LKR 6,000 (just over GBP 15). We hope to raise funds to treat 70-75 dogs. (This may not sound many but small steps can lead to bigger outcomes!). These clinics will be arranged by the same activists and with the assistance of the same veterinaries and medical officer of health who took part in and enabled the first clinic on the 29th July 2023 (Figure 2). The two further full-day clinics will be held at Beragala and at Haputale, and will run on consecutive days in order to reduce costs. (HOT PRESS - 15th July, 2024: We have booked these clinics for the 3rd and 4th August, 2024. Fingers-crossed the weather will be dry!).

Figure 2. The animal activists and veterinaries who enabled the first Beragala dog clinic on the 29th July, 2023. The three activists are (left-to-right) Marie Chothrani, Shamini Rathnayake and Chitra Saunders. The five veterinaries are dressed in blue with the chief veterinary wearing the light blue tunic.

Donations from Sri Lanka

For supporters who live in Sri Lanka and who may have difficulty paying online to JustGiving, please make donations in Sri Lankan rupess either in cash to Chitra Saunders (Jayasinghe) at Happy Stones, Beragala, or by bank transfer to the following Sri Lanka bank account: Peoples Bank, Haputale, Sri Lanka; Account name: K A C P Jayasinghe; Account number: 216200215646586. These donations will be added to those made via JustGiving. Thank you.

Thank you and further information

Thank you for kindly reading our fundraising story - we hope that it was of interest. Should you have any comments or questions about this please do not hesitate to contact either my wife or myself.

Chitra Saunders (e: saunderschitra9562@gmail.com)

Mark Saunders (e: mas7757@live.com)