Exotic pet owners given 30 days to free animals – Yahoo Maktoob News

Sharjah Ruler bans breeding of exotic animals, reptiles at home and farms

Gulf News – Tue, Nov 25, 2014

A cheetah was found in front of the mosque near Radisson SAS Hotel in Sharjah. The decision to ban keeping wild …

 

Exotic pet owners have one month to hand over their so-called pets to authorities under a newly announced ban on breeding and possession of wild animals smuggled into the emirate at homes and farms.

Those who fail to surrender their exotic pets will be slapped with a Dh100,000 fine in addition to confiscation of the species.

His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, issued the decision on Sunday but public and private zoos, scientific and research centres and universities which obtained licences from the Environment and Natural Reserves Agency in Sharjah are exempted.

Hana Saif Al Suwaidi, Director-General of Sharjah Environment and Natural Reserves Authority, told Gulf News that the Environment authority is working on a draft law to explain and clarify the tasks of each department in carrying out the decision.

The decision gave offenders a one-month grace period to amend their position.

The decision was praised by those who said they are being placed in danger by these animals.

Others who own exotic pets are upset they have to surrender their animals, Hana said.

“Yesterday, we received many calls from people … they want to hand over their animals to us,” she said. “This week we will count the number of people who obtained these dangerous animals either in their houses or farms … we know those people … and we will speak to them before implementing the decision next month.”

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Hana said that the UAE has signed an international memorandum banning the trade of animals and plants that are threatened with extinction.

“We received a number of complaints from residents about a lion’s roar which came from a house in a residential area and could be heard from a distance away. Children were scared to hear such a sound, especially during night time. How will it be inside the house? It’s very dangerous,” she said.

Every month, the environment authority in Sharjah confiscated around 25 wild animals and reptiles, she said.

This work exhausted the budget of the environment authority and the staff.

People buy these animals when they are small as they look nice but when they grow up they need to be returned to the wild and they need special care that normal people cannot offer.

People were even attacked by exotic pets in some cases and received injuries and permanent disabilities, she said.

Quarantine

Confiscated animals were kept in quarantine for 40 days and later the department contacted zoos in the UAE, GCC and Europe asking them if they wished to obtain these animals, she said.

The Sharjah Environment and Natural Reserves Authority will launch an awareness campaign through audio and visual media to make people aware about the new ban, Hana said.

Meanwhile, residents can report any wild animals to 8003722745 or Arabia’s Wildlife Centre at 06-5311999.

Exotic pet owners can call the same numbers for inquiries or to hand over their animals.

via Exotic pet owners given 30 days to free animals – Yahoo Maktoob News.

 

Big cats ‘a threat to young children’, says Al Ain vet | The National

August 27, 2014

ABU DHABI // A leading veterinarian has warned that keeping exotic animals as pets at home runs the risk of serious injury not only to the animal but also to people, especially young children.

Dr Yahya Elnoush, a veterinarian at Animal Welfare Al Ain, said it is dangerous to keep wild animals such as big cats at home, saying the unfamiliar habitat is likely to make the animal lash out.

“How any one can expect a wild animal, who is only familiar with jungle life, to live happily in the city house?” said Dr Elnoush.“They will either eventually run away or harm any family members.”Dr Elnoush recalled an incident that happened in Al Ain last year when one big cat ran away from its owner’s house and was found hours later roaming the city.“It created a chaos in the city. Everyone panicked,” he said.

“Eventually authorities had to rescue the animal and kept him in the zoo. The animal died the next day. It must have been sick.”Debbie Spalton, from the UAE-based Middle East Animal Foundation, said there were no licences being issued in the country permitting keeping endangered animals for “personal use”.

“There are laws which can punish people for keeping these animals as pets. But it’s not really clear how often they are enforced,” she said.The trade in wild animals is regulated by Cites, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which has procedures in place to protect rare species.

The UAE is a signatory to the convention, which means rare animals may be traded only with appropriate paperwork.Ms Spalton said that some websites in the UAE advertised rare and endangered animals for sale.

The UAE is at the centre of global trade in cheetahs, in particular, and there is genuine international concern about it.“We find it very frustrating that there doesn’t seem to be the will to make a concerted effort against this practice,” said Ms Spalton.

According to the law, those who illegally buy or sell endangered animals in the UAE, if caught, will face a fine of between Dh10,000 to Dh50,000 and a prison term of six months.

The animals will also be confiscated.“If it was found that the animal was being ill treated, the person may face even tougher punishments because the charges will no longer be just trading but also abusing animals,” said Yousef Al Bahar, an Emirati lawyer.

He explained that the trade of exotic wildlife must be supervised by the Ministry of Water and Environment, which decides the approval or rejection of the process.“If the ministry approves it will provide the buyer with a permit. However things do not end here, he has to provide all necessary care to this animal and the ministry makes sure that this care is being provided through inspections,” he said.

Maha Oda, campaign officer at International Fund for Animal Welfare IFAW UAE says her organisation recently launched a campaign in collaboration with the Ministry of Education to teach children about the dangers of keeping wildlife as pets. “Belong to the Wild educated more than 30,000 students from Grade 4 and 5 about the danger of keeping wild animals as pets and why these species belong to the wild,” she said.

“The students learnt about the negative consequences of keeping wild animals, health and safety, as well as the danger poaching poses to conservation, environment and animal welfare.”

She says the IFAW is committed to raising awareness about animal welfare and conservation.akhaishgi@thenational.ae* with additional reporting by Salam Al Amir and Martin Croucher

via Big cats ‘a threat to young children’, says Al Ain vet | The National.

 

Dark side of UAE’s exotic animal fascination | The National

August 26, 2014

DUBAI // Dr Ulrich Wernery has seen the dark side of the fascination with keeping exotic wildlife as pets.

When wealthy people pay thousands of dirhams for rare animals such as big cats, birds and even apes without knowing how to care for them, he sees the consequences.

By the time the animals reach the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory in Dubai, where Dr Wernery is the scientific director, they are beyond help.

At least once a month, he and his colleagues receive dead creatures, mostly big cats, hyenas and birds.

Investigations into the cause of death usually yield the same answer – diseases or problems caused by poor diet or other forms of mistreatment by the owner.

This month a cheetah was taken to Dr Wernery’s lab. A post-mortem examination found pieces of carpet in the animal’s stomach.

It had probably been kept in an enclosure with carpeting and had been ripping it apart when hungry, said the doctor.

“People think it is nice if they keep an animal on carpet,” said Dr Wernery, who has seen similar problems in captive Gordon’s wild cats, a rare local species.

“It is not intentional, they do not want to kill these animals but it is all wrong what they do.”

The trade in wild animals is regulated by Cites, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which has procedures in place to protect rare species.

The UAE is a signatory to the convention, which means rare animals may be traded only with the appropriate paperwork.

Anyone convicted of smuggling endangered wildlife into the UAE can be jailed for up to six months and fined between Dh10,000 to Dh50,000.

But a conservation professional said more needed to be done to enforce the law.

“If you are a rich man with connections and ‘wasta’, you can do what you want,” he said. “No one will inspect what is behind your walls.”

While keeping animals such as primates and big cats in a flat or a garden is already illegal, the Government should regulate private zoos, he said.

“Most of the private zoos are set up on a whim by a very wealthy person and most of those animals are not contributing to conservation,” he said.

“They are basically there to provide entertainment for a family or one person.”

Stricter licensing, regulations and standards would ensure animals are kept in good condition and traded legally, he said.

“The reality is there needs to be more Emiratis getting involved who are well trained, motivated and want to move things forward.”

Despite the laws, wild, exotic animals are still sold relatively openly.

The website souq.dubaimoon.com has a host of wild animals for sale including Arabian oryx, slow lorises and cheetahs, which are all listed as vulnerable to extinction on the Red List of Threatened Species published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The trade of rare animals has serious implications on wild populations that are already under stress, said Dr Elsayed Mohamed, regional director for the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

“There is no doubt that the continuous harvest of the animals from the wild by humans is leading certain species to extinction. This is happening to many species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and even amphibians,” he said.

Another issue Dr Werney regularly encounters – particularly with big cats – is bad diet, with their owners simply not satisfying the animals’ need for red meat, causing them to suffer from malnutrition.

“What they mainly give is chicken but have you seen a lion in the savannah flying after chicken?” he asked. “This is, especially for young animals, not sufficient.”

Malnutrition causes a host of health problems – hind-leg paralysis and trouble with the development of nerves, the spinal cord and the brain.

Dr Werney saw this in three African lions during a chance visit to a veterinary centre in Dubai this month.

“They cried in pain because all the nerves were damaged because of wrong diet,” he said.

“The worst part is this is irreversible. Even if the animals are now fed the right food, they will suffer like this all their lives.”

Corina Berners, a taxidermist at the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory, said the worst example of maltreatment was declawing big cats to make them easier to handle.

The procedure alters the way the animals walk, causing chronic back and joint pain, and is illegal in some countries.

“Over the years, we got three or four animals for postmortem that were declawed, mostly lions,” said Ms Berners, who has practised in Dubai for eight years.

“So there must be someone who does it.”

vtodorova@thenational.ae

via Dark side of UAE’s exotic animal fascination | The National.