Ever since I arrived in Thailand, I noticed one thing: stray animals.

Until I reached the islands (and in Bangkok there weren't many strays either, to be honest), I found collapsing, infected, almost furless, wounded animals just waiting for the next garbage to be dumped so they could dig in.

When we reached Koh Lanta and found out that there was an animal shelter, it all made sense as to why the animals on the island looked so healthy.

We read up on the shelter, and apparently, they give tours. So off we went on the scooter and decided to take a look at what this facility had to offer.

Anne is a huge fan of animals. Could be birds, weird crabs, flies.. I am just happy that we went to a shelter for dogs and cats.

Lanta Animal Welfare is a non profit charity based in south west Thailand. We are dedicated to improving the lives of all animals, relieving pain and suffering. At Lanta Animal Welfare we believe passionately that we all have a responsibility to protect the animals around us. We strive to raise awareness of the hardship of homeless, sick, and injured animals, the benefits of adopting an animal in need, and our mission to end the homeless animal crisis. - Lanta Animal Welfare

We were right on time, because a tour was about to start in a couple of minutes. We were welcomed by a nice English guy who had been volunteering at the shelter for three months now.

He introduced himself, and later on a couple of their animals. He explained how the shelter came to existence and how it developed over the years. He told us about how they handle the animals, how they find them and how they continue to help them and others as well as educate the local community about animal care and the importance of sterilization.

We believe that all change for the better begins with education. If we are to truly make a difference to the animals of this island, we must begin by talking to the children, who will go on to influence generations to come. - Lanta Animal Welfare

Especially on these islands, where people aren't most of the time too keen on pets, they for sure do not want more of them wandering around. By keeping the population small of stray animals, the shelter can also keep an eye on the strays and keep them healthy.

Our objective is to relieve the suffering and pain of cats and dogs through sterilisation, vaccination and providing first aid medical care. - Lanta Animal Welfare

We were lead to behind the scenes - where the dogs lived. As the group was quite large, we got split up and went each on our way. The nice lady lead us through some of the outside habitats of the dogs and explained about the particular animals: how they ended up here, a little about their personality, and don't forget they are up for adoption.

Taking care of these animals is great, but it is even more wonderful when the hard work pays off and you can send this beautiful piece of fluff to a warm family where the creature is well taken care off and is looking into a bright and lazy future.

All animals roaming around on the property were up for adoption (but the ones who were already adopted). It was fun to hear about the success stories - a lot of the adopted animals were flown to Europe and the US where they would meet their loving families.

Success stories are great, but the rest of the animals require a home too. And don't forget about the homeless, abused strays who should get the medical attention and love they deserve too.

That's why I trying to spread the awareness of the state of the animals in general in Thailand. These are just the islands - I have seen so many bad cases in just three weeks of traveling through this country.

Steemit for Strays!

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Lanta Animal Welfare
629 Moo 2
Saladan
Koh Lanta
Krabi, Thailand

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^{My name is Shannon, I am a digital designer and I am currently on my world trip which I am exclusively blogging about on Steemit! :D There is not a specific goal to my trip other than to have fun, discover places and unravel the secrets of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Australia (for now). Follow me on my adventures!}

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