Otara’s support to community dogs

Creating awareness about animal related issues will be done through the sale of Embark branded t-shirts, mugs, dog tags etc.

Otara Gunewardene, CEO of ODEL – Colombo’s top fashion store – aften has a surprise in store, round the corner. This time she has embarked on a new Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.

“Animals have always played a very dear role in my life. Since as far as I can remember, my family has maintained pets in our home, from the conventional dogs to rabbits and chickens. As such it pains me greatly to see these innocent and defenseless animals treated cruelly around the world, especially in our country,” she said explaining her initiative – Embark - to the media this week.

Embark’s maiden project will focus on community dogs – the ones that reside in a particular neighbourhood as opposed to being personnel pets and will be carried out as a joint venture with ‘Sathva Mithra’ and the Tsunami Animal- People Alliance.

It will help create awareness about animal-related issues pertaining to society which are often neglected. It will also work closely with other animal welfare organization on individual projects in order to make a remarkable difference.

Creating awareness about animal related issues will be done through the sale of Embark branded t-shirts, mugs, dog tags etc. “These items will initially be available at ODEL and possible at other locations in the future. A percentage of sales from these products will be used to fund Embark’s partner projects,” Otara said.

Sterilization of 500 community dogs in the Colombo area using fast and effective method of CNVR-Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate and Release will be done as a part of the project and dogs who are suffering from illnesses will be treated accordingly by the veterinary surgeons present at the clinics.

The ODEL CEO embarked on this project as it is one not fuelled by sales figures or profits but the “empathy” that she feels for animals.

Also involved in the launch was President Sathva Mithra Sagarica Rajakarunanayake who said that there cannot be cruelty to animal if we are a modern society and what Otara is keen on highlighting is that society of cruelty to animal is a thing in the past.