A vet has left behind her home in England to care for Sri Lanka's street dogs.
Janey Lowes from Barnard Castle, County Durham, has spent the past two years caring for the neglected animals. There are about three million street dogs on the island – about 60% of puppies born on the street do not survive to adulthood.
The 28-year-old set up charity WECare Worldwide to raise money to buy the equipment needed to treat the animals and to set up her own clinic in Talalla.
When she arrived, 40 per cent of dogs in the area were bald with mange. This is now below five per cent. Most days she jumps into a tuk tuk and tours around looking for dogs. It is a 24-hour job and she sees animals seven days a week.
Janey, who won Vet of the Year at last year's Daily Mirror's Animal Hero Awards, moved in 2014 after a backpacking trip. She said: "I'm well-travelled and have seen lots of street dogs but Sri Lanka was another level. I couldn't walk away."
She set up a practice in an empty school and now has 20 staff members. They rely entirely on charity donations.
She has taken in five dogs herself, including two-week-old Ralphie, who was the only surviving pup in his litter and had a head wound filled with maggots.
She said: "I was trained as a vet as I want to help animals. Here I wake up every day knowing I'll do something worthwhile."
-BBC and Mirror.co.uk
