Charity work in Sri Lanka Archives - GlenMyu Estate Luxury Bed and Breakfast

Our Cow and a dog. Wandering around GlenMyu Estate. Inspires my though for the day

Dogs in Sri Lanka

Animals that live at our visit GlenMyu Estate., Charity work in Sri Lanka, Holiday, Our Animals at GlenMyu Estate, Our dogs / By Mikeez

Dogs in Sri Lanka

Dogs in Sri Lanka.

When you visit Sri Lanka on holiday you will see lots of dogs in a poor condition.

Learn how you can help and what we do.

New Lives in the Wild - Ben Fogle revisits the British Sri Lankan Vet

The plight of Sri Lankan dogs was highlighted again when Ben Fogle visited British Vet, Janey Lowes, who lives in Sri Lanka. (Channel 5, Series 18, Episode 11).

Bon Fogle originally met Janey Lowes in 2019 (Channel 5, Series 9, Episode 4).

The update highlights the uncontrollable issues that have added to the pressure on the work WeCare Worldwide does in Sri Lanka. With events such as the global pandemic, the economic crisis and the lack of medicines available during the period increased the challenge caring for the dogs.

Issues all around the island

We at GlenMyu Estate also were affected by the issues that were beyond our control.

Over the years since we moved to the Sri Lankan hill country we have cared for and re-homed many street dogs.

Historically, after giving the puppies that were dropped off at GlenMyu Estate, a good start in life, vaccinations, nutritious food and medical care, we were able to re-home many puppies.

We have also funded spaying and neutering dogs villagers close to the estate. Many of our neighbours do not have the means to pay for the surgery. The aim was to control the rise in dog population and ensure that the females did not have letters every seasons of their lives.

The effect of the 2022 financial crisis in Sri Lanka on re-homing dogs

The effects of the financial crisis in Sri Lanka during 2022 and its recovery since led to us finding it more difficult in er-homing dogs.

People had to think carefully as to whether they could afford to care for a puppy when inflation was so high reaching 60% and incomes had not followed.

There was also a lack of medicines during this period coming into the country. This led to an additional concern as to whether vaccinations would be available to protect the dogs. A major concern was the shortage of rabies vaccines which would create a health risk of the owners and their families.

A lot of good work is going on

There are several organisations, in addition to WeCare Worldwide that care for street dogs in Sri Lanka.

Embark Passion

Embark has been transforming the lives of street dogs and the communities they live in since 2007.
They do great work for dogs in Sri Lanka by providing medication, spaying and neutering and finding new homes.

Dogs of Ella

Dogs Of Ella is where the stray dogs from the hills of Ella and neighboring towns come to claim their second chance at life.

They have more than 30 rescues currently residing in the Ella shelter

Individuals doing their own bit for dogs in Sri Lanka

Similar to us at GlenMyu Estate, there are lots of individual around the island that are all doing their bit to help the street dogs.

Many Sri Lankans feed the street dogs in their local area. We had personal experience of this when we lived in Colombo before moving to the Sri Lankan hill country.

A retired doctor drove around the neighbourhood in the mornings and evenings feeding the street dogs in the area.

Support the work we do with street dogs by staying at GlenMyu Estate on your holiday in Sri Lanka.

Feeding the dogs at GlenMyu Estate. Twice a day, 100 kg of rice a month makes several happy dogs.

Some of guests at GlenMyu Estate enjoy helping feed our dogs when they holiday in Sri Lanka.

A stay at GlenMyu Estate as you explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country helps to fund feeding our rescue animals and the work we do locally with street dogs.

We only have three bedrooms and you will need to book early during the peak holiday season.

The estate is usually within an hours drive of the major sightseeing locations such as Nine Arch Bridge, Ella Town, Upper Diyaluma Waterfall, Lipton’s Seat, Bambarakanda Waterfall and many more,

GlenMyu Estate is listed on Booking.com and Airbnb.
Contact us by the WhatsApp button on our website for direct booking rates.

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Ben Fogle and the Sri Lankan Vet

Animals that live at our visit GlenMyu Estate., Charity work in Sri Lanka, Holiday, Our Animals at GlenMyu Estate, Our dogs, Sri Lanka / By Mikeez

Ben Fogle and the Sri Lankan Vet

Ben Fogle and the Sri Lankan Vet.

Channel 5’s New Lives in the Wild revisited Janey, the British vet, who cares for dogs in Sri Lanka.

Ben Fogle’s original visit to see Janey Lowes work, was aired in 2019 on the Channel 5 series.

The latest program highlights how the charity WeCare Worldwide is struggling to cope with the growth since 2016. Capacity at it’s home in Talalla, funding and a shortage in medicines such as rabies shots are key issues.

You can read more in the following Daily Mirror Article.

Janey is confident in approaching street dogs in Sri Lanka. You can watch this clip on Facebook of Janey and Ben meeting a stray dog.
Janey diagnoses the issues that the dog has before starting some treatment.

Click on the following link to be redirected to Apple TV to find out how to watch the programme.

Ben Fogle has an Instagram page where you can read all about the people and places he meets and visits on New Lives in the Wild.

Janey, the British Vet doing amazing things in Sri Lanka

The British vet is located on the south coast of Sri Lanka. She has been doing amazing things for the animals that she treats since she moved to this paradise island.

WeCare Worldwide is a worthy charity which is in need of support.

Please visit their website to find out more information and see how you can provide help and support.

You can follow Janey on her Instagram account to see what she has been doing since the TV program.

Animal Charities is a website which has a blog on what animals charities you can help.

They have highlighted WeCare Worldwide on their most recent blog.

If you want to know more about Janey’s storey, you can read this article “Rugby WAG turned street vet reveals how a row with her ex at the airport changed her life forever” published in MailOnline in May 2021.

Other Dog Charities in Sri Lanka

Dr Janey does fantastic work. There are several other organisations that also support street dogs.

Local to GlenMyu Estate is Dogs’ of Ella.

Dogs of Ella

We, at GlenMyu Estate, are aware of the work that the Dogs of Ella charity does for two reasons.

Firstly, we met co-founder of the charity, Jessica Nehlich, when we were visiting the vet in Bandarawella with some of our dogs for treatment.

Jessica was there with three dogs being treated by Uva Pet Care Animal hospital.

We also knew about Dogs of Ella as we have had guests from Germany and the Netherlands who have visited the charity, volunteered and provided some financial support.

Embark Passion

Philanthropist, Otara Gunewardene, through the Otara Foundation, founded Embark which work to improve the welfare of street dogs in Sri Lanka.

Many dogs are provided with healthcare before being fostered or adopted.

Here are some videos that show the great work that the foundations supports.

Tails of Freedom - rescuing commercially bred dogs in Sri Lanka

Another excellent initiative is by Tails of Freedom which is a non profit organisation in Sri Lanka.

It is dedicated to the rescue of abused purebred companion animals.

We support rescue dogs at GlenMyu Estate

At GlenMyu Estate, we love our animals.
We have taken in and re-homed many puppies since we moved to the area in 2018.
Our rescue dogs are an important part of the estate and our guests really enjoy interacting with them.

They are used to regularly receiving and entertaining our guests.

You will also find rescue cows and chickens at the estate. We enjoy telling our gifts all about stories of how they arrived here.

Stay at GlenMyu Estate and meet our rescue dogs, cows and chickens.

A stay at GlenMyu Estate as you explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country.

We only have three bedrooms and you will need to book early during the peak holiday season.

The estate is usually within an hours drive of the major sightseeing locations such as Nine Arch Bridge, Ella Town, Upper Diyaluma Waterfall, Lipton’s Seat, Bambarakanda Waterfall and many more,

GlenMyu Estate is listed on Booking.com and Airbnb.
Contact us by the WhatsApp button on our website for direct booking rates.

Ben Fogle and the Sri Lankan Vet Read More »

Plan your next holiday to Sri Lanka and de-stress

Stressed at work? Time to plan you next holiday

Charity work in Sri Lanka, Food and Drink, Hiking in Sri Lanka, Holiday, Horton Plains National Park, Natural Swimming Pool, sri lankan recipes, The Pekoe Trail, Things to do on holiday in Sri Lanka / By Mikeez

Stressed at work? Then it's time to plan your next holiday.

Stressed at work? Then it’s time to plan your next holiday.

What better way to relieve the pressure than getting away to Sri Lanka in 2024.

Time to start planning your holiday.

The New Year is a good time to plan your year and set some goals.

Achieving that promotion, working on that big deal or coping with challenging targets can be stressful.
Getting some relief from time to time from your workload is important.
Breaks and holidays are important to schedule in regularly during the year, so that you can reenergise and focus on your targets.

Spending time with your family and friends is important for your home life and is good for your soul.

Doing something different, exploring new places and having new experiences is important for your mental health and growth.

Isn’t it great the energy that you generate when you are excited to tell people about what you have discovered on your travels.

Why holiday in Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka has so much to offer on a small island.

You must be aware however, that it does take longer than you would expect to travel around the island.
The time travelling allows you to enjoy the journey and what you see along the way, rather than just the destination.

If you want to relax at the beach Sri Lanka has lots of variety for you along it’s coastline.
You can also snorkel, dive, surf, see turtles at sanctuary or whale watch if you feel more energetic.

There are lots of opportunities to learn about the history and culture around the island.
The Dutch fort of Galle, colonial architecture in Colombo or tea plantation bungalows or the historic cities of Anaradhapura or Pollunaruwa.

Safaris Parks are located around the country with the most famous being at Yala in the south. Wilpattu, Minneriya, Udawalawe and Bundala are just some of the parks that you can visit.

If birdwatching is your thing, then there are endemic and visiting species that will keep you interested.
Sinharaja Rain Forest Reserve, Bundala, Gal Oya, Kalametiya, Thangamale and Mannar Bird Sanctuary are all worth researching.

There are a variety of hikes for all different levels of ability or fitness.

The short hike to Mini Adan’s Peak near Ella, Horton Plains and Knuckles Mountain range are all options for you.

Why not try some of the stages of the new 300 kilometre Pekoe Trail.

A range of accommodation awaits from five star hotels, small guests houses, camping & glamping and homestay with a local family.

Sri Lankan hospitality -that welcoming smile.

Sri Lankan hospitality is fabulous.

Local people are very proud of their country and are delighted when they can show it off to tourists.

They just want you to have the best experience when you visit their homeland.

Don’t be surprised if you are invited into a strangers house for a cup of famous Sri Lankan tea.

The invite is normally genuine and no payment is expected.

We have been blown away with their experience in Sri Lanka.

Our most recent guests at GlenMyu Estate, in early 2024, said that they were “Blown away with their experience in Sri Lanka”.

They couldn’t believe that they hadn’t visited the island before and will definitely be back.

What to do, what to see.

To start with, please do not over-plan your holiday.

Sri Lanka takes longer to navigate than you would think. Just google the time it will take to travel from the Lion Rock in Sigiriya to the tourist town of Ella.

180 kilometres (111 miles) takes around 4 hours and thirty minutes!

Once you come here, you will want to return again and again.

We have heard our guests say again and again that they will be back on holiday in Sri Lanka.

Clockwise or Anticlockwise

Most tourists travel clockwise or anticlockwise around Sri Lanka.

Starting at the beach and finishing your holiday at the beach is a great way to experience Sri Lanka.

You will probably need some downtime to digest the experience that you had had as you have travelled around the island.
Taking in the wonderful sounds, sights and smells as you travel around the island can have an exhausting effect on your senses.

The variety of things to see and do on your holiday means that there will be lots for you to take in and learn.

Whether it’s from the ancient and historical sights, learning about the culture and religion or seeing the wildlife on a safari there will be new experiences for you to infuse.

A typical route takes you from Colombo or Negombo to Kandy, Dambulla, Sigiriya, Anaradhapura and Polonaruawa.

Then on to the Tea Country to visit Nuwara Eliya and Ella. (GlenMyu Estate is an hours drive from Ella). Then down to Arugam Bay, Yala Safari Park and the onto the southern beaches.

You can start at a beach in Negombo and end up on the beaches on the south coast where you will need to recover from what you have seen on your trip.

Most tourists do this trip during December to Mid April to escape the colder months in Northern Europe.

The East and North parts of the island are best visited during April to September.
This part of at the island is not affected by the monsoon that hits the South and West of the Island during May and June.

There are opportunities to see elephants in National Parks and sanctuaries around the country.

De-stress at GlenMyu Estate.

GlenMyu Estate is ideally placed within your travels around the island and is a great place to relax, reenergise and be ready for your next adventure.

Staying at GlenMyu Estate is ideal to see sights like Horton Plains National Park is a unique experience.

We only have three bedrooms and you will need to book early during the peak holiday season.

The estate is usually within an hours drive of the major sightseeing locations such as Nine Arch Bridge, Ella Town, Upper Diyaluma Waterfall, Lipton’s Seat, Bambarakanda Waterfall and many more,

GlenMyu Estate is listed on Booking.com and Airbnb.
Contact us by the WhatsApp button on our website for direct booking rates.

Stressed at work? Time to plan you next holiday Read More »

Abandoned Puppies

Charity work in Sri Lanka, Our Animals at GlenMyu Estate, Our dogs / By Mikeez

Abandoned Puppies

On Sunday morning (18th September 2022) four abandoned puppies were left at the main gate at Glenmyu Estate.

Our existing pack of seven dogs alerted us to the new arrivals with excited barking and running up and down to the gate.

I was brush cutting at the time, keeping GlenMyu Estate neat and tidy in anticipation of new visitors to enjoy a stay in the hill country.

Eventually I cut the engine on my machine and investigated what the fuss was about.

I had a feeling, as this was a Sunday, that perhaps some puppies had been left on the road

Why Sunday?

Unfortunately since living in the Hill country since 2018 we have found that puppies are dropped off on a Sunday or a Poya (Full Moon) day. I can only surmise that people believe that sympathy and charity will be provided on a “religious” day.

Hoping for 1 or 2 and finding 4!

I was a little taken aback when I discovered four abandoned puppies snuggled up together at our gate! There was only one action to take – call for back up from my wife!

My wife - the Queen of abandoned dogs.

I asked for my wife to come and see the new arrivals and decide what we should do. We are reluctant total on more dogs as we already have seven on the estate.

GlenMyu Estate has five acres for the dogs to roam so realistically we could cater for more.

However, there are several factors why we have decided that seven is a maximum that we should have.

One factor is cost. Feeding seven dogs is expensive and as food prices have risen substantially this is becoming more of an important factor. Dogs in Sri Lanka are mainly ‘rice hounds’ (unless they are a pedigree dog). Their diet is mainly rice with some protein (usually fish or chicken) and some finely chopped vegetables. The cost of rice has more than doubled in the last six months and we buy around 100 kg of rice a month.

Another factor is that dogs are social animals and they need attention. I find it challenging spending enough time with each dog individually during the day and adding more friendly faces would add to this difficulty.

Ticks, fleas and worms

The abandoned puppies were full of fleas, ticks and you could also see from their extended bellies that they had worms. The worms are typically passed through from the mothers milk and needed to be treated as they can be deadly in such small fragile beings.

Our plan with the Abandoned Puppies

Unfortunately we have been through this process on several occasions.

We have lost count of the number of dogs that we have taken in and rehoused since we have been in Beragala.

Ruwanthi cleaned up the puppies, removing ticks and then dusting them with tick and flea powder. The temporary visitors dropped off from the puppies in their numbers.

Some sustainence in form of rice mixed with chicken juice was gobbled up by the hungry four.

A cardboard box with some fabric to provide some warmth would be the puppies temporary home.

Regular meals are needed for puppies at this age so that they get a good healthy start in life.

Worm treatment was a priority so I made a trip to the pharmacy in Beragala to buy some liquid worm treatment for the puppies.

Ruwanthi administered the medicine that evening and we were presented with the results in the morning. Not a pretty sight and to clean however it was a very important task that had to be completed.

Vitamins and minerals

To support that good start in life we provide vitamin liquid to provide the puppies with the best chance of survival and to become strong enough to survive life in the tropics.

A trip to the vet

We will take the puppies to the vet to get them checked out and some advice on what we need to do going forward. There will be vaccinations for rabies, parvo and DHL to come when the puppies are old enough.

Parvo is a contagious virus which mainly affects dogs. It is spread from dog to dog, directly or indirectly through contact with their faces.

Vaccines can prevent infection and mortality can reach 91% in untreated cases.

DHL is active immunisation against a Canine Distemper virus. It is required for puppies beginning at 6-8 weeks old, boosted twice at 3 week intervals and then a year later.

Abandoned Puppies on YouTube and Instagram

I decided that I would record our journey with the 4 new puppies as it would be of interest to dog lovers around the world.

You can see my videos at the following links.

GlenMyu Estate - YouTube Channel

D'Dogz Adventures of the Magnificent Seven Dogs - YouTube Channel

By Staying at GlenMyu Estate you can help abandoned puppies.

We use some of the surplus income we make at GlenMyu Estate to fund the costs of our wonderful street dogs that are resident at the Estate.

We also use funds to support abandoned puppies like these four paying for their food, medicine, vaccinations and vet bills.

We also have funded a spaying a neutering program locally helping those villagers who cannot afford the money to operate on their dogs to control the street dog population.

Find out more about GlenMyu Estate

To find out more about a stay in the Sri Lanka Hill Country at GlenMyu Estate please visit our website by clicking on the following link below.

Abandoned Puppies Read More »

Our Hike to BD Naketiya School, Koslanda

Charity work in Sri Lanka, Hiking in Sri Lanka, Things to do on holiday in Sri Lanka / By Mikeez

Our Hike to BD Naketiya School, Koslanda

Why go?

Ruwanthi is a local representative for the Wildlife Nature and Protection Society locally in Badulla district. https://www.wnpssl.org

It’s something that she has recently gotten involved in and is keen to do what she can to support this worthy institution.

An initiative was put forward recently for each area to submit a project to restore and protect endemic species in Sri Lanka with the generous sponsorship of Hemas Group.

We met a principal of a remote school in Koslanda and, after a long discussion about two potential projects, we decided we had better visit the preferred site to see if it was worthy of submitting a proposal.

The school historically served a Tea Estate which has now closed.

There was a landslide in 1996 and most of the villagers were relocated expect the ones who were determined to remain.

The children of the remaining villagers attend the school up until Grade 4 where they move to a new school.

The total number of pupils …..18!

The school is set within three acres of grassland and is abutted by a small stream and therefore, with careful planting, there appeared to be an opportunity to replant a small area with a variety of plants which would grow into a small patch of forest which would draw wildlife to the area.

The principal of the school, Anbu, warned us that there was a four and half kilometre hike to the school which he does every day.

Where is it?

BD Naketiya is located around four and a half kilometre hike from the main Koslanda Road and can be found on the map below.

Fit enough?

Anbu’s word of warning were there for a good reason. He looked at us, and me in particular, and was a little concerned that the hike would be too much.

A 7 a.m start

Anbu came to GlenMyu in the early morning and we followed his motorbike in our car to the start of the hike.

There is a road that can get to the school, however, Anbu has gone by motorbike and felt a little bit sick at the end of the journey due to the rough road.

It may be attempted by a good four wheel drive vehicle but when there is rains it would be quite treacherous even for the most experience 4 x 4 driver.

The start of the Hike

We had a beautiful sunny morning commencing the hike and we thought we were lucky because we were sure that it was going to rain on the day.

Well, I got a quick wake up call to my fitness level as the first part of the hike led us up quite a vertical rough stone walkway.

Here is how I sound as I attempt to keep up with the others on the hike.

As we walked we had some fantastic views of the landscape of the Hill Country.

Anbu loves nature and wildlife which is evident even after a short conversation with him.

Outside his school work he spends time as a guide on walks in the area and certainly has a really good knowledge of all the well known and lesser known places to visit .

Here is Anbu talking about a potential hike (24 km – way to much for me at this stage).

The first part of the hike is completed - phew!

You can see the beautiful scenery in the video below (sorry about the heavy breathing!)

Catching my breath and enjoying the view

An outline of the project

Here is Ruwanthi talking about the project that she hopes to submit to the Wildlife Nature and Protection Society.

Beware of the Elephants!

Elephants regularly can be seen in the area and there is evidence of them on the roads and also from the damage that has been done to various buildings as highlighted by the local villagers.

They advised that one elderly lady had been killed by an elephant when she was startled to come across the animal one evening.

The Human – Elephant conflict is a serious challenge in Sri Lanka and the Wildlife Nature and Protection Society are a key stakeholder in trying to protect the elephants and the people.

Some of the people we met.

Evidence of Elephants.

Elephant damage to buildings.

Here is Anbu talking about the elephants that can be seen in the area.

Still on the Hike!

A few friends that we met on the way.

Here I stop and take a short video of the line houses where some of the children live and have a long hike to their school.

The last part of the Hike - almost there but still breathing heavily!

Boy, I was pleased to be getting close to the school. I definitely need to improve my fitness if I’m going to do more of these hikes!

The school is set in the most beautiful place and although it has been a tough climb for me it was certainly worth it.

Probably - the school with the most beautiful view in the World.

Here is the splendid view from the school.

I’m sure that you will agree – it is just wow.

Murals on the school walls.

Hanging around on a rock

Hiking in the Hill Country

If you are interested in hiking around the Haputale area including Lipton Seat, Horton Plains National Park, Bambarakanda Waterfall, Diyaluma Waterfall, Pilkington Point or other hikes we can connect you with Anbu..

Stay in the beautiful Hill Country

A stay at GlenMyu Estate in the Hill Country, near to Haputale is a new experience as we only opened in 2021.

We have three fabulous bedrooms which have spectacular views of the hills towards the Southern Coast.

A refreshing swim in our natural spring fed swimming pool is a great way to ease those tender muscles from a hike.

To find out more please visit our website or and see our customer reviews on google.

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