A Sussex-based charity formed by two friends over a decade ago has been helping relieve the suffering of hundreds of animals across the globe.

The group's founder, Alan Knight, says their latest work with Indian dancing bears has been the most rewarding - and heartbreaking - of all.

It is all a far cry from Mr Knight's work as an engineer in Hastings.

But as a dedicated animal rights campaigner who frequently travelled abroad, he was determined to do something about the plight of animals across the world.

And after one particularly harrowing trip in 1988, Mr Knight sat down with friend and fellow campaigner John Hicks to make plans for the future.

Mr Knight, from Dallington near Heathfield, said: "We could see there were a lot of animals suffering abroad, especially where there were lots of tourists."

The pair decided to set up a charity. What started out as two friends discussing how they could help animals has now become a worldwide organisation.

Mr Knight said: "We were thinking of the name International Rescue, just like the Thunderbirds. Our job was going to be the similar, except with animals.

"So we decided to call ourselves International Animal Rescue (IAR) and all our phones ring with the Thunderbirds theme."

Luckily, the two men got to know a wealthy animal-loving elderly woman who agreed to be their patron. This allowed them to set up the first "Tracy Island" in a farmhouse in Devon.

Two years ago they sold the farm and moved to their current offices in Uckfield to be closer to Mr Knight's home.

Over the years the charity has helped hundreds of animals escape cruel treatment and given them access to proper veterinary care, as well as providing funding for various projects such as a new ambulance for the East Sussex-based Wildlife Rescue Ambulance Service.

The charity has recently been helping save the hedgehogs on the Hebridean island of North Uist, who will be killed by lethal injection to protect the eggs of rare breeding wader birds.

But cats and dogs usually give them their most work in countries such as Turkey, where they breed out of control. Local people regard them as pests and can treat them appallingly.

When they are called upon, IAR sends a team of two vets, two vet nurses and two trappers to the country. Then they trap the animals before taking them to a temporary surgery where they are sterilised.

Mr Knight, who is now chief executive of IAR, said: "Once the locals see the population is being controlled they do not feel they need to poison them, shoot them or mistreat them."

IAR has also done a lot of work in India. Mr Hicks recently retired to the island of Goa, where he helps run the veterinary clinic the charity funded, which employs a full-time staff of 18.

It was while in India Mr Knight discovered the plight of sloth bears, who are poached as cubs and trained to dance.

Mr Knight said: "The cubs are sold to the Kalendar nomads, a tribe that has kept dancing bears in India for centuries. Their training methods are unbelievably brutal: The tiny creatures have their teeth ripped out and their nails hacked off.

"They are viciously beaten to make them dance. Worst of all, a red hot poker is pushed through their muzzles up into the nasal cavity and out through the top of its snout, through which a rope is threaded to control them.

"The wound is never allowed to heal so the bears are constantly in great pain and forced to obey their owners."

IAR has provided funds for India's first-ever sanctuary to house these bears in the northern area of Agra. The 17-acre semi-wild enclosure currently caters for 27 bears but Mr Knight hopes there will be 50 there by the summer.

He said: "The sanctuary is a huge step forward in our efforts to help the bears but there is much work still to be done.

"The Indian government must be persuaded to enforce existing legislation that bans the keeping of dancing bears and tourists must be educated not to give money in the misguided belief that it will help them.

"We still desperately need funds to support the existing sanctuary and to build more facilities to house the hundreds of bears that still need our help.

"The work we have done is just the beginning."

Anyone wanting to know more about IAR or to donate money can call 01825 765546.