Dubai: Activists have called for more awareness of animal cruelty as cases of abuse and neglect continue to occur.
Last week, 12 dogs, two Persian cats and caged birds were found locked in the bathrooms and kitchen of a villa. The animals had not been fed for over a week — leading to the deaths of the two cats and four dogs.
Narges Khouzestan, from Iran, an animal activist for the past 25 years, has been rescuing animals as well as bearing the cost of vaccinating and neutering them. “My European neighbour had all these pets in his home and I suspected that he used to illegally breed them and then sell the puppies and kittens for a profit. When he switched homes, he left most of his belongings there but, more importantly, also left the animals there,” she said.
The previous tenant, she explained, would pass by the house a few times to feed the animals and also gave permission to the neighbour to check up on the animals whenever she had any spare time.
“It was horrible and disgusting. The neighbour did not check up on the animals for one week and when she did, she found that the cats and dogs had died of starvation.”
The house was in a mess with faeces all over the floor and walls and an unbearable stench emanating from all the rooms.
Cases of abuse
Khouzestan immediately received a call from the concerned neighbour and they rescued the animals together and found them homes through various animal shelters, including Dubai Animal Welfare Society and SNIFF (Strays Needing Interim or Furever Friends).
“I have seen cases where teenagers throw cats and kittens out of cars just for the fun of it, and reckless drivers who hit strays on the road and do not bother to take them to the vet because the cost of treatment is more than Dh5,000,” she said.
Poisoning
Other cases of abuse include people poisoning cats and dogs and dumping them in the desert.
Hashim Al Awadi, head of the veterinary services section at Dubai Municipality, explained that there was legislation to protect the welfare of animals. “All pets are required to be registered with the municipality. If we find stray animals, which happens mainly when residents go away on holiday and leave their pets behind, we contact the owner and impose a fine starting from Dh500,” said Al Awadi.
When animals are returned, the owner is also held responsible for all expenses including transport and treatment. “But if we do not find a tag on the animal, and it is not microchipped, we consider the animal to be a stray one. Healthy cats and dogs are neutered, vaccinated and released back into the community but if they are sick, we euthanise them,” he said.
