Dubai: A circus bound for Abu Dhabi has denied all affiliation with an Egyptian lion cub salesman, Mamdouh Al Helou, exposed by Gulf News on Tuesday attempting to sell animals protected by international trade restrictions.
Two five-month old cubs selling for Dh35,000 each are unable to stand due to a calcium deficiency and lack of exercise in captive life. Al Helou, a lion trainer, claimed to be in the country for the sake of a circus show.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment and Water said "it is under control and we are following the situation" however no official action has been taken.
Business as usual
At the industrial area just outside Dhaid where the cubs are located, it all seemed like business as usual.
The cubs had a couple of hours in the sun before being put back in their cramped cage.
The ownership and trade of wild, dangerous or endangered animals in the UAE is monitored by two federal laws: Law 11 for 2002 for International Trade under the Convention in International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), and Federal Law 16 of 2007 on respecting animal welfare.
Prior permission must be acquired from the Ministry of Environment and Water to own, sell or transport such animals into the country.
Refund demand
Akram Sabry, General Manager of Sky Conference & Exhibitions — the organisers for the International Egyptian-Russian-European Circus scheduled to open in April in Abu Dhabi — said many people had demanded ticket refunds after reading the Gulf News exposé.
Sabry shared his documents and no-objection-letters from CITES, Abu Dhabi police and municipality to prove the legality of the circus.
"We do not have cubs, we do not sell cubs, we know the rules," he said. "We don't know Mamdouh Al Helou at all and nobody has approved his circus in Abu Dhabi. Nobody has the right to sell animals like this, even me."
The animals for the circus will be arriving in the UAE on April 28 and 29. These include: domestic cats, a python, six lions and a tiger. One of the performers, Fatten Al Helou, is apparently not related to Mamdouh Al Helou said Sabry.
Al Helou was not available for comment.
Do you know of any places in the UAE that sell such wild animals? Are animal rights taken seriously these days? What would you do if someone tried to sell you an exotic animal? Tell us.
