How Is One Vet Running 385 Miles for Street Animals?
What measures would you consider to save thousands of wounded street animals that required urgent help while resources were scarce? The vet made an amazing decision by covering the whole stretch of Sri Lanka in order to construct a great animal hospital.
Janey Lowes, born in Barnard Castle in County Durham, sacrificed her comfortable life in the UK after seeing the challenges that the wounded street animals face during her backpacking in Sri Lanka. Later, she formed WeCare Worldwide in 2014 to offer the necessary services.
Why Is Dr Janey Lowes Running Across Sri Lanka?
Dr Lowes is set to undertake the 385-mile (620km) Dog Jog, an event that is set to start on 9 October from Point Pedro and end at Dondra. She aims to make it through the difficult run in just 22 days.
Why does she want to do this? Well, she wants to raise money for a £1.6 million animal hospital.
But this run goes beyond the mere physical aspect. It is also about providing vulnerable animals with proper healthcare and creating a place where they can be tended to.
How Has the Charity Helped Street Animals?
Whereas it began with a vet trying to help animals with no proper tools, it has evolved into a large-scale animal welfare project.
WeCare Worldwide has already helped over 35,000 cats and dogs. WeCare offers various services like rabies vaccination and medical treatment to those animals that get injured in car accidents.
Some of the work includes:
- Treatment of sick/injured animals on the street
- Vaccinations against rabies
- Veterinary emergency services
- Help for animals involved in traffic accidents
- Services provided round the clock
Why Does Sri Lanka Need a New Animal Hospital?
The charity’s current clinic is no longer big enough and is outdated. According to Dr Lowes, the building is in poor condition, with black mould and leaks, and there isn’t a single free space left anywhere.
The hospital would offer much-needed space for treatment and would even have a training center for veterinarians.
One Run Could Change Thousands of Lives
Running 385 miles is not an easy feat when even Dr Lowes herself has never been able to complete the Great North Run. But why does she persist? Because the new facility can potentially make life better for so many animals.
With this journey, she proves that nothing is impossible when compassion leads to action. Each mile of the Dog Jog is a promise of hope for the numerous injured street animals who may have no other place to go.
Sometimes, being a change in the world begins by not walking away.
References Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c64g7gk7p7vgo
