• Tails of Freedom wants Sri Lanka to rethink animal welfare

This weekend, Tails of Freedom is inviting the public to look at animal welfare through a different lens – one that goes beyond sympathy, social media posts, and fleeting moments of outrage.

Taking place on 16 and 17 May at Colombo City Centre, “The Part You Play – Small Actions. Real Change.” is a two-day immersive awareness event designed to show how everyday human choices directly shape the lives of animals. Hosted in partnership with Colombo City Centre, the event combines storytelling installations, rescue experiences, speakers, interactive exhibits, children’s activities, and opportunities for visitors to actively engage with rescue work.

While Sri Lanka has seen a rise in pet-related events in recent years, initiatives that centre animal rescue, rehabilitation, and humane education on a large public platform remain rare. For Tails of Freedom Founder Shilpa Samaratunge, that gap is exactly why this event became necessary.

“We felt an immersive public awareness event like this was necessary because many of the animal welfare issues we face in Sri Lanka are not simply rescue problems, they are awareness problems,” she said.

“Sri Lanka has many pet and breed-related events, but very few that place welfare and rescue at the centre of the conversation.”

According to Shilpa, many of the issues rescue organisations deal with daily – from unregulated breeding to reluctance around sterilisation and even confusion during emergencies and disasters – stem from a lack of public awareness.

“Rescue and humane education go hand in hand. Doing one without the other is almost pointless,” she explained.

The power of small actions

At the heart of “The Part You Play” is a message that feels deceptively simple: no action is too small to matter.

For those working in rescue, that reality is visible every day.

“We see the person who stopped to make a call. We see the person who donated Rs. 100 and apologised because it was ‘all they could do.’ We see the person who stayed with an injured dog until help arrived,” Shilpa said.

“And we see how much those moments matter.”

She pointed out that most people never witness the chain of small decisions and actions that ultimately move an animal from danger to safety.

“Very often, it is those seemingly small acts that are the reason an animal survives,” she added.

The event itself has been structured around that idea of shared responsibility. Rather than framing animal welfare as something belonging only to rescuers or organisations, the experience aims to show visitors how ordinary choices shape outcomes for animals every single day.

“We hope people begin to rethink some very everyday choices, things like walking away assuming someone else will help, choosing not to sterilise their pets, or feeling that small actions do not matter,” Shilpa said.

“A lot of people think animal welfare belongs only to rescuers or organisations, but the reality is that no rescue happens through the efforts of one person alone.”

Showing the reality behind rescue

Visitors will be guided through a narrative experience that explores neglect, abandonment, disasters, rescue efforts, rehabilitation, and eventual recovery. Tails of Freedom’s own rescue dogs will also be part of the event, creating a direct and personal connection between the public and the stories being told.

For Shilpa, one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding rescue work is how little of the process the public actually sees.

“I think one of the most misunderstood parts of rescue is that people often only see the beginning and the end of the story,” she said.

“They see the injured animal when it is found, and they see the happy adoption photo at the end. What they often do not see is everything in between.”

That “in between,” she explained, often includes extensive medical treatment, behavioural rehabilitation, transport arrangements, searching for foster homes, and months –  sometimes years – of emotional and physical recovery.

“Another thing that is often overlooked is that rehabilitation is not just about keeping an animal alive. It is about helping them feel safe again,” she said.

“That process can be slow, unpredictable, and emotionally demanding, especially for animals that have experienced neglect, abuse, or long-term fear.”

Shilpa also stressed that rescue organisations do not operate in isolation, despite how they may appear online.

“Every rescue depends on a network of people; the person who stopped to help, the person who shared a post, the vet who stayed late, the foster who made space, the donor who contributed even a small amount,” she said.

The need for systemic change

As Sri Lanka continues to grapple with abandonment, exploitation, and the impact of disasters on animals, Shilpa believes lasting change will require more than rescue efforts alone.

“I think the most urgently needed changes are stronger regulation, better public education, and far greater transparency and accountability around animal welfare issues,” she said.

“At the moment, many areas connected to animal welfare in Sri Lanka remain largely unregulated or poorly enforced, from breeding practices and disaster preparedness for animals, to welfare monitoring and basic standards of care.”

She also pointed to how access, politics, and wealth often influence which animal welfare issues receive visibility and support, while a lack of humane education leaves many people without reliable information about responsible ownership, sterilisation, or even basic care.

“Without informed public action and stronger systems in place, rescue organisations are often left responding to the consequences rather than addressing the root causes,” she explained.

‘Every person has a part to play’

For Tails of Freedom, the goal of the event is not simply to raise awareness for two days, but to leave visitors with a lasting shift in perspective.

“More than anything, we hope people leave understanding that animal welfare is not something distant from them or reserved only for rescuers, organisations, or people with resources,” Shilpa said.

“We want people to leave recognising that they are not powerless, and that compassion is not measured only through large gestures.”

She believes many people underestimate their own ability to create change because they assume meaningful impact requires extraordinary action.

“But very often, meaningful change is built on consistency, compassion, and collective action,” she said.

“If people leave recognising that they already have the ability to shape the lives of animals around them – and that they do, in fact, have a part to play – then the event has done what it was meant to do.”