Abu Dhabi: The third edition of the Pet Festival was held on Friday at du Arena in Yas Island in Abu Dhabi featuring a cat show, a feline beauty contest, dog agility competition, fifth international dog show competition and Abu Dhabi Police dog squad (K9) demonstration, among other activities.
The festival highlighted the importance of raising awareness on animal welfare in society.
Shree Nair, organiser, Pet Festival, said the turnout this year was higher and that new competitions were introduced in this year’s edition.
“It’s very important to hold such an event where you see people from different backgrounds sharing the same passion and love for their pets. It’s a great opportunity to educate people about animal welfare,” he said.
Aparna Gopi, 23, and Wasil Abu Bakr, 23, from India, brought their two Arabian Mau cats — Leo, a male, and Nicky, 5, a female — to take part in the feline beauty contest.
“This is our third time at the festival. Leo won the title of ‘Special Arabian Mau’ in last year’s contest,” said Aparna.
John Marc, 32, a nurse from the Philippines, came along with a friend and his two Pekingese dogs — Burgee, 5, a male, and Coco, 3, a female — to watch the dog agility competition.
“This is my second time at the festival,” he said.
British expats Laura Webb, 29, nurse and Marc Langley, 31, financial adviser, came with their dogs — Bella, 2, a Pomeranian, and Milo, 5, a Chihuahua. “We wanted to treat them to a day out and have a good time,” said Webb.
Langley said they’re enjoying their time at the festival because their dogs are having a great time.
The Ghozzi family from Egypt brought along their one-and-a-half-year-old Persian cat, Oreo, to take part in the feline beauty contest.
“We’re big fans of dogs and cats, and today, we just want to pamper and treat Oreo, that’s why we registered him in the beauty contest, and hope he wins. He’s already trembling and scared from the distraction around him,” said 29-year-old Ali, an IT specialist.
Omar, 22, and his father Tawfeeq, 60, said they were looking forward to the live demonstration of K9 police dogs.
The Pet Festival offers free medical check-ups and vaccinations, consultation, micro-chipping, grooming and blood tests for pets, apart from pony rides, pet products and stalls and a petting zoo that had mongoose, chicken, ducks, turtles, hamsters, snakes, rabbits, among the other creatures.
This year featured the Woof Parade in which dogs and their owners walked together and were assessed under different criteria.
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Spreading message of animal care
Rachel Kasa, volunteer at Feline Friends Abu Dhabi, said being a part of the festival was crucial to highlight the importance of caring for animals in society.
“It’s important to spread the word out on animal welfare, and reach out to the public. We want to promote kindness, appreciation, love and fondness towards animals. We also want to educate people on how to care for their pets, and not mistreat, abuse or abandon them. We come across many abandoned and stray cats we foster and put up for adoption. I think it’s very important that people think twice before purchasing or adopting a pet.”
Kasa added, “I’m a mother of a three-year-old and a four-year-old and it’s just amazing when kids are brought up around animals, it teaches them great values and virtues and how to take care, nurture and respond to those pets. They learn how to become appreciative, responsible and, mostly, they understand another’s feelings and pain.”
Ronel Barcellos, director at Abu Dhabi Wildlife Centre, told Gulf News at the Pet Festival that most of the animals at the centre are confiscated from people, because they shouldn’t be owning exotic animals in the first place. “People should understand that animals like lions, cheetahs, jaguars and tigers are not pets, and belong in their natural habitat. Once they’re taken out of their habitat, they can no longer breed, and they cannot be put back into the wild as they can no longer behave normally or hunt. They also lose their fear of humans,” said Barcellos.
Barcellos added that the UAE decree on banning the ownership of exotic animals is the right step to prevent people from owning them.
