Residents say animals must be treated humanely

Dubai/Abu Dhabi: A competition in Dubai has set out to identify the right candidate to be the city's first ambassador for animals.

A Voice for Animals (AVA), which culminates in a gala dinner and pageant at the Grand Hyatt hotel on October 23, aims to eventually name a female winner with a genuine passion for animals and their welfare.

The winner will spend time helping out at K9 Friends and Feline Friends. She will also be expected to educate the public and spread awareness about how a pet needs to be looked after.

City Talk took to the streets and asked a cross section of residents for their views on animal rights and efforts being initiated for their welfare in the UAE.

Abdullah Allah Jamal, 17, a university student from Egypt, said: "Of course I am aware of animal rights, though I think many people are not. Animals are being abused all over the world and not much is being done about it. I have never taken any action to protect animals."

Manjit Singh, 53, an engineer from India, said: "Yes, I'm definitely aware of animal rights and I read about it in newspapers. Not enough is being done. I love animals and I used to feed and provide medical treatment to animals in distress. There should be charities to provide shelter and collect donations for animals."

Marymar Bustamante, 26, a secretary from the Philippines, said: "I'm aware of animal rights and I know a group in the Philippines called Peta that campaigns for animal rights. It tries to raise awareness about rights of animals which are most abused, including chickens. The group hasn't reached my city yet but I'd love to help with such efforts."

Paola Diaz, a telecommunications engineer from Colombia, said: "I was taught by my family and at school about our responsibility to protect animals. My family has always taken care of abandoned and injured animals, especially birds and kittens, by taking them home and nursing them. Recently, my husband and I attended charity events [for the cause] in Abu Dhabi."

Daoud Khalaf, 46, a director-level employee of Palestinian-Jordanian descent, said: "I don't think there's much being done in the UAE to protect the rights of animals. The UAE is very rich in terms of the number of different species of animals living here but perhaps too much emphasis is placed on falcons and other animals that represent the rich heritage of the country; I don't think other animals get the same kind of investment.

"I have a huge weakness for animals; I love them and nurture them like my children. However, I'm not really aware of many organisations to improve their welfare here in the UAE. When I was young, I raised cats in my garden and whenever I see a cat in distress outside my home I go out of my way to help it but that is a very small personal example. I think more needs to be done on a national level.

Faruk Bhagani, 42, from the US, a managing director, said: "Animal rights is not really something I give much thought to. I actually think, given that this is a region of the world still developing, that the UAE is doing a pretty good job with regards to improving the welfare of animals. The awareness levels are quite high and the media is generally supportive. Ironically, I think more attention is often given to animal rights than to human rights.

"I'm not really a big animal person but I don't like to see them getting abused. For example, if I ever saw someone throwing rocks at a cat I would step in to stop it but that's about the extent of my involvement in protecting animals," he said.

It's about time something was done about this,I have had many problems in the past with shootings,throwing stones, deliberately trying to run them over,stealing them,dumping them on the highway, the list goes on. I'm all for an Ambassador!!!Bring it on!!
Maureen Groome
Dubai,UAE
Posted: August 02, 2009, 17:12

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"Treat everyone and everything with the respect they deserve be it animals, humans or any other living creature.
Trupti Ashar
Dubai,UAE
Posted: August 02, 2009, 16:57

animals are also living things mr george !
Shazia
Dubai,UAE
Posted: August 02, 2009, 14:51

Hi there,i agree as well...lots needs to be done about animal care...but truly appreciate the work done by Feline
Aliya
Dubai,UAE
Posted: August 02, 2009, 14:42

Animals are god creatures as well and they need to be treated in a nice way plus human can speak for them self but animal have no voice if we don't step for them us human they will be abused and I think if you are a nice person you will be nice to both animal and human.
Chris
Dubai,UAE
Posted: August 02, 2009, 10:49

First think about our fellow human beings who are treated inhumanely around the world. Then there is a point in thinking about animals.
George S.
Dubai,UAE
Posted: August 02, 2009, 09:23