The Animal Welfare Coalition (AWC) has offered legal support to a woman who has spent her own money caring for street dogs, after an incident involving her while she was feeding animals in the Malabe area went viral on social media.
According to the AWC, the woman provides food for stray dogs, arranges rabies vaccinations and supports sterilisation programmes aimed at controlling the street dog population. The organisation said it had previously assisted her during a dispute over dogs on her private property, and has decided to extend legal support again following the latest incident.
The coalition said it has taken legal action in other cases involving alleged harassment of animal welfare activists. It said those actions have included complaints against Kaduwela Mayor Ranjan Jayalal, submissions to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, and requests for investigations into the conduct of police officers. The account of those cases is the AWC’s own.
On the legal position, the organisation said there is currently no law in Sri Lanka preventing people from feeding animals in public places. It added that the proposed Animal Welfare Act would go further by recognising the care of animals, including the provision of food, as a “duty of care”.
That bill was gazetted in July with penalties of up to Rs. 250,000 for cruelty and has not yet been passed. It is a separate measure from the Animals (Amendment) Bill, which Parliament approved on Thursday to require transport permits for pigs, sheep and goats.
The AWC urged the public to continue helping animals responsibly, advising people to use plates or bowls when feeding street animals, to avoid littering and to clean the area afterwards. It said it would stand with the woman and take legal action if she faces unlawful pressure from authorities.
