WE WOULD like to make it clear that Animal SOS Sri Lanka has never spent a penny of charity funds importing a single street dog from Sri Lanka into the UK.

The charity was formed last year with the sole purpose of helping the desperate animals in Sri Lanka.

We did this by acquiring a base, building a veterinary clinic in which to conduct a co-ordinated sterilisation and vaccination programme for street animals. The plight of strays in Sri Lanka is heartbreaking - there are sick and dying puppies and kittens everywhere. Many are discarded on rubbish tips where their eyes are pecked out by crows.

It is why we are urgently trying to raise funds for a base to carry out our work.

The animals that were imported into the UK, including Milly, the pup who was sadly harbouring rabies, were sponsored by individuals, not Kim Cooling or our charity, with the aim to give these animals a chance of life.

All the animals were vaccinated against rabies, blood tested and health checked by numerous vets before a health certificate was issued in Sri Lanka. There was never any risk to public health as the pup died in quarantine, and those who were nipped by the pup were all vaccinated against rabies.

Four other puppies were killed by DEFRA as a precautionary measure and we have since been informed that they did not have rabies.

All trips to Sri Lanka are self funded, and Kim Cooling, the president and founder member of the charity has spent many years during her holidays from fulltime employment rescuing and alleviating the suffering of the strays in Sri Lanka - all self funded work.

Animal SOS Sri Lanka www.animalsos-sl.com