Pet Festival 2014 to feature birds, reptiles too | GulfNews.com

Published: 16:31 October 8, 2014

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• Best paw forward: There will be a two-day competition for dogs

Dubai: Nine months after the popular Pedigree & Whiskas Dog Show was cancelled in Dubai, animal lovers in the UAE are now gearing up for another pet fair.

Organised by PETME, the Pet Festival 2014 will be held at the Rugby Stadium in Dubai Sports City on November 7 and 8. According to Shree Nair of PETME, the three-year-old festival will host the first international dog show and the 10th international cat show, besides featuring birds and reptiles.

Nair said: “This is the first time that all these categories are coming together in one show. People not only keep dogs and cats as pets, but birds and reptiles too. So we didn’t want to exclude them.”

He said extra care will be taken to avoid any untoward incident. “The festival is three years old. We haven’t had any incidents in the past but are leaving nothing to chance. A thorough assessments of the pets will be conducted at the entrance and the pets classified into different categories. For instance, an aggressive dog will be given a red ribbon, a moody pet a green ribbon and friendly creature a yellow ribbon, so visitors know what to expect when they interact with these pets.”

Nair said long leashes will be banned during the show. “Pet owners will have to use short leashes for their dogs. We will also make sure that the groomed competition dogs are segregated from the guest dogs, so they do not lose focus,” he added.

The festival is expected to attract hundreds of pets across different categories. It will feature a two-day competition for dogs that will be judged by an international panel, a demonstration by a police and military dog squad and a fancy fashion show for dogs.

Nair said: “The 10th International Cat Show organised by the Middle East Cat Society in association with the World Cat Federation will also be judged by international judges. There will be presentations and demonstrations by pet experts and animal welfare groups.”

via Pet Festival 2014 to feature birds, reptiles too | GulfNews.com.

 

 

Abandoned pets in UAE: Worst summer ever – Emirates 24/7

Published Sunday, September 07, 2014

With more than 130 dogs and cats waiting to find a permanent home, an Abu Dhabi-based volunteer group dedicated to rescuing and rehoming abandoned animals in the UAE has launched its first ever crisis appeal.

“This was the worst summer I have known since we started Animal Action – Abu Dhabi,” says Mel Stones, founder of the organisation.

Animal Action is being hit by a double combination of an increased number of animals being abandoned or surrendered, and a reduction in the number of available volunteer foster homes as many of its current volunteers have been away over the summer or have recently left the UAE.

The high number of abandoned pets represents an all-time high since the organisation was founded in 2010, it said in a media statement today.

With no animal shelter of its own, the organisation is appealing for new foster homes to help support the current influx of animals, as well as ‘forever’ homes, for its homeless dogs and cats.

“Every day we have received calls from owners who want to surrender their pets, usually because they are going away and haven’t made arrangements for their pet to be cared for, or aren’t prepared to accept the associated expense.

“When we tell them that we already have a record number of animals and can’t take on any more, often they threaten to put the animal on the streets. Saying no is a death sentence to many of these poor creatures,” she adds.

In addition, there have been numerous reports of animal abuse, with some really cruel tales. Stones narrates one such horror story.

“Some [pets] are abused by people too, such as a heavily pregnant dog we recently rescued in Al Ain which had had acid deliberately thrown on her and is now scarred for life,” she says.

“A high number of dogs in the UAE live on the streets and out in the desert, many of which are giving birth to litters of puppies. Some of these dogs may have grown up in the wild, while many are clearly abandoned pets left to fend for themselves,” she adds.

“The puppies are being born into an environment of extreme heat, little food and scarce fresh water, and many don’t survive.”

Around 700 animals have been rehomed by the volunteer group in the last four years since it was established, the group said. Animal Action, which operates primarily via a Facebook page, has supporters from across the UAE national and expatriate community but is struggling to cope under the weight of requests from people wanting to surrender their animals, it says.

“We don’t have a shelter and we rely on volunteers to provide foster homes while we look for permanent homes for all our animals.

“However, we’re desperately short of foster homes at this time. We’re urgently seeking new foster homes to come forward to help us cope with this record number of animals currently in our care,” urges Stones.

“Saying no is a very hard thing to do, because we know it can make the difference between life and death for that animal.

“However we have finite resources and we have already exceeded those. We work closely with other animal welfare groups in the UAE and everyone is saying the same thing: that this year is the worst they have ever known.

“We need to find more homes willing to take on these poor animals, whether temporarily or permanently.

“We also need to raise more money to cover the cost of our medical bills, as frequently the animals surrendered to us need immediate veterinary attention due to a lack of owner care. Any support is welcomed, no matter how small,” she urges.

Those interested adopting a homeless animal may visit Animal Action – Abu Dhabi’s Facebook page or email animal.action@hotmail.com.

via Abandoned pets in UAE: Worst summer ever – Emirates 24/7.

 

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.

 

UAE lacks appropriate facilities for pets | GulfNews.com

By Zain Malik Special to Gulf News

Published: 14:19 August 25, 2014

Dubai

Pet owners in the UAE are struggling to cope with a distinct lack of facilities for their pets. As dogs are banned from public beaches and parks, dog owners from all emirates are claiming that the hostile attitude towards pets, particularly dogs, is making their lives difficult.

One dog owner, Darryl Soares, told Gulf News that he was asked to vacate his apartment in New Gold Souq, Mankhool area, Dubai after he purchased his pet dog.

“At the time of purchasing my dog, there were no regulations against owning pets in the building,” he said. “However, when it came to renewing my lease, the landlord added a clause forbidding pets in the building. I had no choice – I had to relocate.”

Soares left his apartment and moved to the Jafiliya area. When he tried to walk his dog on the Jumeirah Open Beach, he was quickly reprimanded by an official of the Dubai Municipality. Now, he claims that he has nowhere to walk his dog, “I don’t walk my dog except behind my villa for him to litter!”

Soares is not the only pet owner that has struggled to find an appropriate area to walk his dog.

Archana Sen, a resident of Abu Dhabi, is not allowed to take her dog to her local park for a walk.

“We take our dog for her regular walks near the Abu Dhabi Municipality offices in Al Danah area, and often we take her to Saadiyat Island, but that is not a proper beach. These areas aren’t very suitable but we have no other option,” she explained.

Several dog owners have reported people expressing discomfort when they see dogs.

“I was waiting outside a shop with my dog … a woman nearly fainted when she saw my dog and was nervously asking me to move,” Sen explained.

Other residents have been forced to walk their dogs late at night, in order to avoid people.

“I have been forced to walk my dogs after 10 in the evening!” explained Islam Farrag, who lives in the Remraam area of Dubai. “I believe most of the pet owners will agree that we end up with either a sick pet or a very depressed one due to a lack of exercise and social activity.”

The UAE has very strict regulations against where dogs can be walked, and several residents have filed complaints and believe more must be done in order to educate the wider public about animals.

In Dubai, Layal Watfeh owns a Golden Retriever, who is almost five years old.

“[We have received complaints from] every single park and beach that we ever attempted to go to,” she stated. “[We are banned from] open beaches in Jumeirah and even the ones located next to the hotels in the area. There are simply no places to take your dogs. They are prisoners of the house.”

Watfeh explained that something needs to be done in order to combat the negative responses towards dogs.

“I think dogs should be introduced to school programs as a temporary plan, to let children become aware of what dogs really are and how loving and caring they are,” she said.

This problem is double fold, however. There is a surplus of pet shops in the UAE that sell all kinds of pets, from exotic animals to cats and dogs.

“Selling pets should be more controlled in the UAE. There are so many shops that sell pets and not enough people with enough awareness and education about animals buy them,” said Watfeh.

Gauri Lilani, another Dubai resident, added that the problem of illegal breeding also explains the unfavourable approach to animals. It creates a number of unwanted cats and dogs that get abandoned, further compounding the issue of animal awareness.

“People need to first stop illegally breeding pets,” she stated. “People need to be more aware of local shelters in the UAE that do wonderful jobs and take out time and effort to help abandoned and stray animals.”

The writer is an intern with the International Section at Gulf News.

Be a community reporter. Tell us what is happening in your community. Send us your videos and pictures at readers@gulfnews.com

via UAE lacks appropriate facilities for pets | GulfNews.com.

 

I rarely hear a barking dog in the UAE and long may that situation continue | The National

 

Rosemary Behan

July 19, 2014

“Residents of Dubai Marina expressed their shock and surprise to wake up last week to discover Emaar had banned dogs from public spaces.” They were quick to complain in the letters page of The National this week, warning that “Dubai will be lagging behind if this rule is enforced”.

I realise this may make me unpopular, but I’m all for a ban on dogs everywhere in the UAE. One of the things I love about living here as opposed to the UK, where I’m from, is the lack of dogs, dog mess and dog owners on the streets.

What joy it is to be able to walk barefoot on the beach or in a park, without fear of dog mess underfoot. How pleasant, clean and civilised.

Why then should Emaar’s forward thinking be attacked? Yes, perhaps residents could have been given more notice of a change, but it should hardly come as a surprise that this country is not the world’s biggest fan of dogs – and nor should it be made to be.

Those who choose to have dogs, often despite the lease terms of their apartments, should be forced to think for a minute about why their rights should override those who want families to be able to relax without the addition of dogs into the mix. Why do people need to keep dogs in cities, especially in sky-high apartment blocks? The motives seem ultimately selfish.

In my high-rise building in Abu Dhabi, I was just this week confronted by a woman in the lift with two dogs that she had taken for a walk and who were gasping from the heat.

On other occasions, I have seen other residents of the building taken aback at having to share the confined spaces of the lift areas with dogs, who often rush to them looking to be petted.

The owners use human language and a smug attitude to “educate” others about the wonderful world of dog ownership, as if it is a badge of a modern, civilised society. Far from it – no one wants a dog jumping up to lick the face of their two-year-old child, or to run the risk of being bitten or feel obliged to pet an animal perhaps when they are on their way to dinner and have just washed their hands. My family had dogs when I was growing up, and one of them had to be put down for biting.

This was the responsible thing to do, but why should anyone have had to be bitten in the first place? Unless an elderly or disabled person needs a dog for companionship or guiding purposes, dog ownership is an indulgence most of us can do without.

In my view, allowing pets to openly defecate on the street or beach, even when it is cleared up immediately afterwards, is unhygienic and frankly revolting. The real reasons that people have dogs are often selfish, as dogs give them unconditional love and a sense of purpose they should perhaps be looking for elsewhere.

Who asked the dog if it wanted to be kept as a pet in a high-rise building and exercised in the stifling heat?

Even in the UK, which some would think is a more conducive environment for dogs, the sheer number of them – seven million at one recent count – and their owners means that the dog’s presence is more often than not a plain nuisance, even when living in large houses with gardens.

In my old house in East London, my next door neighbour had a Jack Russell, which not only yapped at all hours of the day and night, disturbing my sleep, but burrowed under the garden fence and used my lawn as a toilet.

The response from the dog owner was not repeatable.In admirable contrast, I rarely hear a barking dog in the UAE or see a pile of dog mess.

Thankfully, the logistics of living away from home are enough to stop most people from insisting on all of their accompanying habits and foibles. I hope the UAE never becomes a “dog-loving” culture like the UK. Perhaps we could create designated dog areas, allowing the rest of us the chance to enjoy our peace?

via I rarely hear a barking dog in the UAE and long may that situation continue | The National.

 

Dubizzle teams with animal welfare group to educate public on pets | The National

Dana Moukhallati

July 10, 2014

DUBAI // Classifieds website dubizzle and an animal welfare organisation have joined forces to stop the illegal advertising of animals for sale and to educate the public about pets.

Meaf, the Middle East Animal Foundation, a non-profit organisation, held a workshop with dubizzle to help moderators identify adverts that did not comply with the policy of free adoption and that promoted the sale of endangered species.

Dubizzle already has a policy against selling animals in the UAE and allows only for free adoption on the site.

“The biggest barrier to improving animal welfare is education,” said Barry Judge, the general manager of dubizzle in the UAE.

“With a 46 per cent increase in the number of ads placed on the dubizzle pets section during the summer months, it’s obvious that some people are not aware of what they are getting into when taking ownership of a pet,” he said.

“We really want to change this. With 3.8 million unique visitors to our platform every month, dubizzle believes it can amplify and accentuate the voice of this campaign and increase awareness of responsible pet ownership in the UAE.”

The training focused on animals that are protected by the Convention for International Trade of Endangered Species.These include tigers, cheetahs, marmoset monkeys, chameleons, monitor lizards and animal products such as ivory and skins.

Also at the workshop to share their expertise were representatives from Emirates Wildlife Society, in association with World Wildlife Fund.

Meaf and dubizzle will be launching a campaign on the pets section of its website, with information on the benefits of adopting rather than buying, and links to local resources that can help animal owners wanting to rehome their pets and ensure the long-term well-being of their pets.

“As we start the summer season, an increased number of animals are abandoned by owners, and support groups are overwhelmed by the number of cats and dogs to care for,” said Meaf co-founder Mahin Bahrami.

“Dubizzle has been extremely receptive to our upcoming education campaign to help us get our message out to the thousands of residents who use the platform on a daily basis.”Meaf, the first registered animal foundation in the UAE, also said that it would this month be launching the Trap, Neuter and Release TNR scheme for cats, covering The Villa and Al Waha communities in Dubai.

The scheme is designed to control the local cat population in a humane manner.“Every year around this time, people leave and don’t know what to do with their pets. They take them in but then have no place to put them and just abandon them,” Ms Bahrami said.

“Pet owners must plan in advance and they have to be responsible for their pets, and this is why we’re trying to raise awareness.“Some people buy pets and then get tired of them after a while. People need to understand that pets are not disposable, like cars or mobile phones.”Ms Bahrami said Meaf was working closely with other organisations in the UAE, including Bin Kitty Collective, whose members would be on the ground to implement the TNR scheme.

“When we do this, it is to control animal population,” she said. “We make sure to trap the cat in a humane manner, take it to the vet where it is neutered, after which the ear is slightly chipped to mark it as being fixed, and then we bring it back to the exact location we found it.”

She said that many UAE residents already neutered street cats, but Meaf and other organisations were trying to make it more systematic and official, saying that they hoped to implement a post-TNR programme.dmoukhallati@thenational.ae

via Dubizzle teams with animal welfare group to educate public on pets | The National.

 

Dog abandoned at UAE veterinary clinic | GulfNews.com

The owners dumped the dog at the veterinary clinic after a leg surgery.

Published: 15:47 April 19, 2014

Dumia was abandoned by her owner after she suffered from a broken leg.

Dumia is the sweetest and most amazing Saluki that we have come across for a while now.

We received a call from her owner, who told us that one of the dog’s front legs was broken and she needed urgent veterinary assistance. We directed him to one of our associate vets.

An x-ray corroborated the fact that she suffered from a complicated, multiple fracture on her front leg, where the bone had broken into a lot of fine bone pieces. To operate in such cases is very costly.

The owner agreed to have her treated and gave us the go-ahead for the surgery. He promised to return soon and submit the deposit for the surgery, as part of the clinic’s policy. That was the last we ever heard of him.

The woman who helped the owner get in touch with us informed us there were other dogs like the Saluki, who were in a similar situation, and had managed to escape.

Dumia’s surgery has gone well and she is already using the injured leg, but she will soon need mild exercises and resting to prevent too much pressure on the broken bone. She is currently wearing an external support band that will need monitoring for the next two weeks.

We are now trying to raise money to cover the total bill, which is now at Dh6,500. She could be moved to a home – permanent or foster – after this period.

Sadly, rescuing emancipated, injured and neglected Salukis is a common procedure in the UAE.

Salukis are indeed such a powerful and important part of the history of the Middle East, yet we have rescued many who have been treated like garbage. Many get exported all over the world where they are appreciated and treated as what they really are: Arabian jewels.

If you are willing to help this sweet girl with her treatment cost or you are able to offer her a permanent home, please contact us by email at info@friendsofanimalsdxb.com or call us on 0507887025.

via Dog abandoned at UAE veterinary clinic | GulfNews.com.

 

Numbers of abandoned dogs in UAE soar as owners ‘lose interest’ | The National

Dog at animal shelter (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

DUBAI // Internet sales of pedigree dogs are leading to larger numbers being dumped on the streets or in shelters, animal welfare charities warn.

Related

■ UAE students’ first-hand experience with an animal shelter

■ Dubai group hunts for foster homes for abandoned dogs

■ Abandoned UAE dogs rehomed in US

Topic UAE Topics Abu Dhabi Dubai

Jackie Ratcliffe, chairwoman of K9 Friends, said people were buying pedigree breeds such as dobermans or huskies because they look “small and cute”, but lose interest when they get older and bigger.

“A lot are found in the street in a terrible state,” Ms Ratcliffe said. “They are covered in ticks and are starving. It is because people buy them as cute puppies and then throw them out.

“People buy a husky, for example, as a puppy thinking they look all cute but when the puppy gets bigger they don’t want it any more.

“They do not know how to handle it. It (the problem) is worse than ever. It is just crazy.”

Hector, a pointer, was found by a member of the public at just 10 months. He was severely malnourished. His protruding ribs were covered in ticks as he wandered the streets looking for food.

While his background is not known, it is thought he had been bought as a puppy then abandoned once he got bigger, said Ms Ratcliffe.

Two rottweilers are also new additions to the K9 centre. They were brought in by their owner who said he could no longer care for them.

A quick browse of the internet brings up dozens of sites offering “adorable pups” for sale in the UAE, but Ms Ratcliffe said people should remember that getting a dog is a big commitment.

“Don’t take on that cute puppy unless you are prepared to dedicate the next 15 years to their care,” she said.

“Animals should not become victims of the throwaway society that we have become.”

So far this year, 55 abandoned dogs have been taken in by the centre in the Jebel Ali industrial estate. Of these, 30 have been pedigree dogs, bucking a previous trend of crossbreeds.

Although the centre has the capacity to hold only 120 dogs, K9 Friends has 138 in boarding.

via Numbers of abandoned dogs in UAE soar as owners ‘lose interest’ | The National.