Dubai: Word spread among Dubai residents that an ostrich was on the loose in Al Safa area on Thursday.
A local radio station posted a photo of the alleged ostrich on Twitter, with a caption that read “We’re hearing there are hold ups at Safa 2, off Al Wasl. Ostrich on the loose!”
Despite the unconfirmed report, when contacted by Gulf News, Dubai authorities said that they had received no reports of any ostrich sightings.
An official from Dubai Police said that the operations room had not received any calls about an ostrich.
When asked if police were diverting traffic, as people had reported delays in the area, he nixed any idea of police in hot pursuit of a large bird.
“We did not receive anything. It is just a bird, not a wild animal; we would not be diverting traffic or closing roads because of that,” he said.
A query to Dubai Municipality was directed to a wildlife specialist at Dubai Municipality, who said he was not aware of any reports of an ostrich on the loose.
“How can that be? There may be ostriches at some farms here but how did one get out?” said Dr Reza Khan.
It is not unheard of for farmhouses and villas to have enclosures for larger animals kept as pets.
Early this week in Sharjah, exotic pet owners were given one month to hand over their so-called pets to authorities under a newly announced ban on breeding and possession of wild animals at home.
In recent years, sightings of exotic animals in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been commonplace despite laws that prohibit the importation of endangered or threatened animals into the UAE.
