Stray Dogs & Cats

Co-Exist with People in Sri Lanka

- Kasturi Patra

I visited Sri Lanka in the beginning of October for a relaxed holiday. We stayed in Colombo, Dambula, Galle, and Bentota. During our stay, we visited various sites and attractions, and had a lovely time. Though Sri Lanka is much smaller than India and their average roads are narrower than ours, what impressed me most was the cleanliness of the country. The opulent greenery and the small stray dog population were some of the things that pleasantly surprised me. However, I still had my doubts on the strategies that were successful in controlling the stray population. Eventually, I found out that Sri Lanka has a beautiful way to deal with feral cats and dogs.

Every Hotel, Curio Shop and Restaurant had Adopted One or Two Stray Dogs and Cats

We spent about 3 days in Galle, the capital city of the Southern Province. One thing I noticed besides the picturesque roads was that almost every hotel, curio shop and restaurant had adopted one or two stray dogs and cats. The moment we entered the reception of the resort where we were to stay, we saw a grey striped cat curled up into a ball and sleeping right under the receptionist’s nose. Being a pet parent of two ‘Indie’ stray dogs and two cats, the sight of adopted animals and their owners never fails to make me feel warm and happy.