- Third instalment of ‘Know Your Pet’
The project is chaired by Rtr. Madusha Lakmali and Rtr. Isira Thiwanka. Speaking to Co-Chair Lakmali, who shared the vision behind Know Your Pet, stated that the project was organised with the main aim of creating awareness amongst the public on responsible pet caring and public health issues when taking care of pets. She stated that they have conducted two webinars so far, which consisted of video discussions and live Q&A sessions conducted via Zoom and Facebook Live.
According to Lakmali, their first session was held on 10 January 2020, and the subject matter was aimed at making the public aware of the correct way to take care of cats and dogs. It was conducted by past Rotaractor, veterinarian, and University of Peradeniya Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences probationary lecturer Dr. Ushani Atapattu, who is a professional in the field.
“In this session, animal welfare, vaccination schedules, deworming, public health issues like zoonotic diseases and rabies, nutrition and diet, drugs and foods that need to be avoided, and many more other important topics that are important to be aware of when having a pet dog or cat were discussed,” she said.
The second session was held on 23 January 2021 about exotic pets including aquatic pets, birds, squirrels, tortoises, rabbits, and guinea pigs. The session was conducted by Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage and Department of National Zoological Gardens veterinary surgeon Dr. Kashmini Sumanasekara.
She said that this session was mainly focused on topics that people are not very aware of when handling exotic pets, such as ways to identify if they are sick, their basic needs, the correct environment they need to have, availability and types of such pets in Sri Lanka, etc. Further, she said that additionally, they drew attention to steps that should be taken if the public were to come across an injured squirrel or a bird, the responsible persons and emergency telephone numbers to inform about an injured wildlife animal, the way veterinarians take care of these injured animals, and so on.
Pigs as Pets
The third and latest session is their upcoming webinar, which is an awareness programme about raising pigs as pets. Through this webinar, Lakmali stated that Know Your Pet intends to create awareness about topics such as pig breeds; advantages and disadvantages of having a pig; places we can take pigs as pets; price ranges, rules, and regulations; difficulties or problems faced when taking care of a pig and solutions; food and medicine and how much it will cost approximately; the suitable space and shelter they require; diseases caused or spread by pigs to human and solutions; how it affects small children; and vaccination or spay/neuter processes.
She said that by adopting a pet, we are able to make a difference in their lives and that pigs can make wonderful companion animals. However, many of us do not adopt pigs due to the lack of knowledge about them. As a consequence, their innocent lives are ignored and are limited only to stock shelters.
Stating that pigs are smart and emotional animals who can enjoy human companionship, and that many pigs like brushing, belly rubs, going on walks, and snuggling close to humans, she shared that they need caregivers who are knowledgeable about their care and behaviour, and are committed to providing them with tender loving care and mental stimulation, and so they hope to raise this necessary awareness via this programme.
The session will go live tomorrow at 6 p.m. via Zoom and Facebook Live. Register here: https://forms.gle/HnALKz5kqEF6qXNw7.