Embarking on behalf of animals

LAUNCH: It is very easy to fall in love with an animal - especially when it is small, cuddly and playful. These are the emotions that led Otara Gunewardene, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sri Lanka’s first department store, ODEL, to launch her own personal Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative with “Embark”.

According to Gunewardene, the idea of “Embark” was formed due to her life-long fondness for animals.

As a true animal lover, she felt that it was her duty to dedicate a pert of herself on behalf of the welfare of animals. Describing the event as being truly close to her heart, Otara said that “Embark” is a way of returning the happiness and joy she received from her nature’s companions.

The goal behind “Embark” is to prevent cruelty to animals in Sri Lanka. Through awareness programmes, raising funds and organising individual projects in co-operation with other animal-welfare organisations will take place in order to improve the living conditions of animals.

“Embark’s” first project is aimed towards the community of dogs, meaning dogs that tend to live in particular neighbourhoods as oppose to being personal pets. This project will be conducted in association with Sathva Mithra, a local animal rights organisation, and the Tsunami Animal-People Alliance (TAPA).

It involves the sterilisation of 500 dogs within the Colombo region. This process will be carried out using the well-established method of CNVR (Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate and Release), a quick, efficient and effective way to control and manage the dog population.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, delivering a message on behalf of the launch of “Embark” showed his approval towards the policy of replacing the killing of dogs with more humane methods.

He stated that this project is a furthering of the policy stated in the Mahinda Chintana, a method which uses modern, scientific thinking to prevent cruelty to animals while controlling the dog population and eradicating rabies.

In order to raise funds for this worthy cause a collection of “Embark” branded goods are on sale at ODEL. Come... Be a part of this project and show your gratitude towards man’s best friend.

Flower of the week: Glamorous Chrysanthemums

CHRYSANTHEMUMS are easy to grow. It is appropriate to plant in early spring. However they can be planted almost any time, as long as they have time to establish their root system before the hottest weather.

They grow best and produce the most flowers if planted in full sunshine, and respond to plenty of food and moisture.

There are hundreds of varieties of Chrysanthemums, giving you the options of height, colour, flower size and time of bloom, so you can pick and choose to fit your needs when you visit the nursery.

Chrysanthemums can be started as seeds, cuttings, divisions, or purchased at a nursery as bedding plants up to gallon sized plants. They should be planted into well-prepared, fertile, sandy soil. They resent “wet feet” so the hole should be dug deeply.

The plants should be spaced 18-30 inches apart for best results. When the plants are 6 inches tall, pinch about 3/4 of an inch from each branch to promote more blooms and bushier plants. When they reach a foot tall, pinch them again. On the largest flowering types it is best to remove all buds except for the one on top.