Treat all animals with dignity and respect
I am writing in response to a recent news item that was published by Gulf News regarding laws to prohibit the illegal import into the UAE of wild and exotic animals (‘FNC discusses draft law on banning exotic animal ownership’, Gulf News, May 25). I for one welcome this new law and hope it is implemented strictly. It should act as a deterrent to those money-making, heartless traders who have long indulged in this cruel trade.
Being a strong advocate of animal rights and being an animal lover, I have abhorred reading about the way wild animals like chimpanzees, lions, tigers and crocodiles – to name only a few – have been smuggled in the past, kept in terrible conditions and almost near death. They sometimes get rescued and rehabilitated. Other times, they just die.
All animals, great and small, are God’s creatures and they must be treated with dignity, respect and love. They must be allowed to roam and fly free.
It is extremely cruel and selfish to get an animal to satisfy one’s own amusement and then discard it without any regard for its well-being. A strict law must be applied to both the dealer and to those who buy from them.
There are very few things that bring more joy than to see an animal roaming free. Please, let them be.
From Ms Umbereen Rahman
Dubai
The child needed to be saved
Whoever said that it was wrong to kill the gorilla is being short-sighted (‘Gorilla shot dead after boy crawls into enclosure’, Gulf News, May 30). What if that child was your own child or relative? Who knows what next the animal would do to the boy! In my opinion, an animal life has never been equal to a human life. It’s not fair to blame the mother for being careless in this circumstance. None of us love that child more than she does. Whoever shot the gorilla made the right decision and he/she qualifies to be called a hero.
From Mr Geofrey German
UAE
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Our negligence
It’s not the gorilla’s fault. Was it the gorilla’s fault that the child’s parents weren’t watching? Was it the gorilla’s fault that the zoo enclosure had not foreseen children slipping in through the railing?
Of course, a child in the grasps of a gorilla justifies killing it. I agree that if it comes to saving the child or the gorilla, we need to save the child. But, again, an animal has been killed due to negligence and selfishness of humans.
From Mr George Francis
Dubai
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End of a beautiful animal
It is up to the mother to keep an eye on her child at all times, especially a four-year-old. Remember he had time to get through the bars, which wouldn’t be easy. In that time, if the mother was watching her child, she would of had time to grab him. She wasn’t watching. So that makes it a sad and senseless act that caused the death of a beautiful animal.
From Ms Pattie Lee
Ohio, US
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Don’t judge!
You don’t know what was going on, Ms Pattie Lee. Maybe she has more than one child, maybe it wasn’t a good day for her. Don’t judge. This is what it is! It is terrible, but it happened.
From Ms Ana Gabriela
Ploiesti, Romania
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Zoo negligence
I don’t understand why it’s so easy for people to slip into these animal cages! Even after trying really hard, it should not be possible to get into an animal enclosure at a zoo.
From Ms Jocelyn Hope
UAE
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Protecting residents
Dubai labour policies and their system for protecting residents is very intricate (‘Dubai workers put lives at risk for cheap food’, Gulf News, May 30). They know very well where to go to find the people doing the damage. I hope that other countries adopt the same ideas as the UAE.
From Mr Narender Kumar
Dubai
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Shameful selling
Shame on those who play with the lives of people. If you can’t sell good quality, fresh foods, then why are you endangering the lives of others by selling expired items? Shame!
From Mr Abdul Rahman
UAE
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Advertise the proper channels
Poor workers are saving all they can to send home. It seems that a lot of these workers are willing to risk the danger, according to the report. Making sure that the food they are eating is still good is not their priority. There needs to be services available that are well advertised for these people to go through the proper channels.
From Mr Noor Ahmad
UAE
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Invest in employees
Besides advertising for the proper channels, Mr Noor Ahmad, the authorities should keep an eye on companies that earn a huge amount of money without caring for their workers. With long working hours, poor living conditions and facilities, companies need to invest in the happiness of their employees.
From Mr Suhail Khan
UAE
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Slipped from their fingers!
The finals of International Cricket Council (ICC) Indian Premiere League (IPL) was a real thriller, ably led by the best captains of this season (‘Sunrisers throw gauntlet’, Gulf News, May 30). Of course, it was David Warner, who knocked out Virat Kohli.
Kohli’s team are a superior team in the batting department, but it was their bowling, which let them down at the crucial time. Though Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) bowlers, after their initial hiccups were on a roll during the last five games.
It was Shane Watson, who spearheaded their bowling till now, who had an off-day to concede 61 in four overs. It was really surprising that Kohli, despite his poor form in conceding 37 runs in three overs, asked him to bowl the 20th over to concede 24 runs and the trophy! To be frank, it was Ben Cutting, whose all-round performance cut the promising start by the RCB openers. Anyway, it was another slip between the cup and the lip for the Kohli Brigade who will have to find new bowling ammunition to lift the IPL Trophy next year.
From Mr N. Mahadevan
Mylapore, India
Taking a life for granted
It’s sad to hear stories like this where a man leaves his wife and children without their documentation (‘Man leaves country with children’s passports’, Gulf News, May 30). There are people who are looking for the perfect partner to start a family and to take care of them. Then you come across people like the man in this article who wastes such a valuable chance!
From Mr Jocel Fernandez
Dubai
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Take care of your loved ones
Shame on this man for leaving his children and wife. I understand that life can be hard and it can seem like running away is the best option, but that’s wrong. It’s not the best option, it’s the easiest option.
We must not stray from our responsibilities. When we read about those stories of men struggling to take care of their families, but they are doing everything in their power to keep everyone safe, clothed, fed and educated, it just makes you hold so much more respect.
From Mr Abdul Kareem
UAE
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Unacceptable violence in New Delhi
The assault on African nationals in the Indian capital of New Delhi, which killed one Congolese national is sad and cannot be justified (‘8 held for assault on Africans’, Gulf News, May 30). It is the government’s duty to give protection to foreign nationals who are residing in India. The Minister of State of External Affairs Vijay Kumar Singh’s comments on this issue cannot be justified, and it will only add salt to the wound. Blaming the media and protecting the culprits will worsen the diplomatic relations between the countries. The government of India should take strict measures to curb these types of incidents and take measures to build confidence in the African community.
It’s the tradition of India to treat all the guests who are in this country with the utmost respect and care. Racism in any form should not be tolerated. Even Indians who travel abroad are also victims of racism. We should realise that thousands of people with Indian origin are working and doing business of their own in African countries without any issues.
We are in the 21st century and any form of racism is against mankind and we should treat all humans equal irrespective of colour, caste or nation.
From Mr Eappen Elias
Dubai
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