Humane Dog Population and Rabies Management Project, Maharagama.

For the next 3 years, in collaboration with the Maharagama Medical Officer of Health and the Blue Paw Trust, Embark will be carrying out a Humane Dog Population and Rabies Management Project in the Maharagama DS Division. One and a half months into the campaign and over 500 dogs have already been vaccinated against Rabies. Plans indicate that the first few months of the project will focus on Anti-rabies Vaccinations. This initial period will be insightful as the Embark and Blue Paw Trust teams will be able to get an idea of the number of dogs that need to be sterilised over the course of the project.

A little help from our friends...

Embark and the Blue Paw Trust also organised a meeting with the Maharagama Medical Officer of Health, along with local Public Health Inspectors and Government staff from the area. This was done in order to raise awareness on the proposed Dog Population and Rabies Management Project. It was great to see the interest and positive response from all the local government officials and staff!

Calling all dogs

The first clinic was held on the 23rd of November. The Blue Paw Trust team set up stations in 5 different locations and were able to administer the Anti-rabies Vaccination to more than 250 dogs on that day. Around 143 and 107 dogs were vaccinated on the 7th and 14th of December respectively.

Maharagama campaign targets:
Duration: 03 years (Nov 2011 – Dec 2014)
Clinics: 304 mobile clinic days
Sterilisations: 5,000+ female sterilisations
Vaccinations: 35,000+ anti-rabies vaccinations
Total projected cost: Rs. 23 million

Paws for a cause!

As the Maharagama project moves forward, Team Embark calls on YOU to support this campaign by working with us to provide a better life for street dogs in Sri Lanka and to give them the love, respect and home they deserve. Alone we achieve little, but together we can make a world of difference for our strays.

How you can help...

Inform people about what the Maharagama project is all about. Follow Embark’s updates on Facebook and Twitter and help us spread the word!

1. Educate people about responsible dog ownership and the importance of sterilisation and vaccination.
2. If you’re staying in and around Maharagama, volunteer your time to inform your neighbours and friends about the free services at the mobile clinics. If you have access to a vehicle, please lend a hand by bringing in friends’ dogs for treatment.
3. Share your knowledge and help Embark raise funds.
4. You can donate! Each Rs. 2,000 raised will sponsor the cost of sterilising and vaccinating one dog.

Wag, wag!

Embark recently concluded a Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release Campaign (CNVR) for stray and owned dogs in partnership with the Blue Paw Trust on the 16th of November at Thalahena, Battaramulla. Around 33 animals were sterilised, 65 vaccinated and 1 was treated for Mange by a team of qualified veterinary surgeons. The community was incredibly helpful in spreading the word about the free clinic and were very supportive from the moment we set up!

Maharagama Project – Clinic Day 2

Clinic Day 2 of the Maharagama Project with the Blue Paw Trust (BPT), and the MoH, Maharagama - 7th December 2011.

Anti-rabies vaccines were administered from 5 vaccination stations in the Maharagama District. A total of 143 dogs were vaccinated, bringing the total anti rabies vaccines administered during the Project, to 403 dogs.

The first few clinic days will focus on administering anti-rabies vaccinations, which was identified as an urgent need by the Medical Officer of Health. This will also allow the teams to get a clearer idea of the number of owned and roaming dogs needing to be sterilised later on during the project.

Spreading some doggie love

Embark recently concluded a Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release Campaign (CNVR) in partnership with the Blue Paw Trust on the 9th of July in the Sethsiripaya compound, Battaramulla. Around 26 animals were sterilised, 36 vaccinated, 4 treated for severe mange and 2 were treated for TVT by a team of qualified veterinary surgeons from the Blue Paw Trust.

Canine care

Phase 2 of our CNVR programme in Dehiwela was a great success. Working with the Blue Paw Trust and a Government Veterinary Surgeon, an additional 32 dogs were sterilised on Wednesday, 20th July 2011. The Government Veterinary Surgeon was proactive in informing the surrounding populous of the clinic and stressing the importance of sterilising domestic dogs as well.

Sterilization campaign with Blue Paw Trust in Dehiwela-Mt.Lavinia

Embark recently concluded another Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release campaign in partnership with Blue Paw Trust on 21st of June in the Dehiwela-Mount Lavinia area. 37 animals were sterilized, 8 were vaccinated and 3 dogs were treated for severe mange on the day, by a qualified team of veterinary surgeons from Blue Paw Trust.

Sterilization campaign with Blue Paw Trust at the Open University, Nawala

Embark's Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release campaign in partnership with Blue Paw Trust concluded on the 24th of May at the Open University, Nawala. 28 animals were sterilized, vaccinated and given necessary treatment on the day by a qualified team of veterinary surgeons from Blue Paw Trust.