The Progress We Have Made..

About KACPAW and its Work . . .
KACPAW (Kandy Association for Community Protection and Animal Welfare), a non-profit-making registered NGO, was established in January 1999 and has been granted association status with the RSPCA, UK. And WSPA, UK In the years 2000 and 2001 KACPAW worked very closely with the Governor of the Central Province, one of its patrons, on formulating and carrying out a humane stray dog control programme in the Central Province. Apart from KACPAW, the Kandy Municipal Council; two provincial ministries, those of Health and Industries, the Department of Animal Production and Health; the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science of the University of Peradeniya; the Sri Lanka Veterinary Association (SLVA); and the Kandy Lions Club were involved in formulating the above programme and carrying it out.

KACPAW is involved in providing free sterilization and rabies vaccination clinics as an alternative, more effective and humane method of rabies control. From about June 1999 to date we have sterilized about 1000 dogs at these clinics and elsewhere; the staff and students of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science have carried out surgery in most of these clinics. Some were conducted with veterinary help from the Government Veterinary Hospital at Getambe and the Social and Animal Welfare Foundation. Concurrently, we conduct public awareness programmes (mostly for school children) on the need to eradicate rabies and practise responsible pet ownership. KACPAW’s hopes to expand its sterilization programmes to cover the entire Central Province in order to show the impact of sterilization as a more effective and humane strategy in the control of stray dog populations than killing them and therefore rabies control as well, are being gradually realized in that we have been asked by the Ministry of Health to forward a proposal for such a programme. This is a direct outcome of the concept paper on a five-year national rabies control programme drafted at the request of the Governor of the Central Province, which was sent in December 2000 to the Minister of Health for consideration. KACPAW is now represented in a committee led by the Secretary to the Minister of Health to formulate a national rabies eradication programme. Island wide free surgical sterilization of dogs including strays and free vaccination against rabies of dogs and licensing thereafter, accompanied by a vigorous publicity campaign on responsible pet ownership and rabies etc. are recommended in this concept paper. This committee meets regularly. Furthermore, KACPAW hopes to focus on this issue and work towards formulating an action plan to eradicate rabies at a conference organized by KACPAW and WSPA on humane stray dog control to be held on the 7th and 8th September 2002 in Kandy. WSPA is conducting and sponsoring this conference, to which we have invited the Minister of Health as the chief guest. The Minister has accepted the invitation.

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