Lion cubs endure tough time in UAE even as owner stays out of harm's way

Dubai: Three weeks since the case of two malnourished lion cubs that were offered for sale on the black-market drew a public outpouring of sympathy and the authorities took them away from their owner, little action has been taken to prosecute the Egyptian man who brought the cubs into the UAE and caused them intense suffering.

The cubs were so badly dehydrated and malnourished when found that they had trouble standing up as their legs could not support their weight. After 10 days in a veterinary clinic, the cubs staged a good recovery and could move around on their own.

Animal welfare officials from the Ministry of Environment and Water told Gulf News an investigation is ongoing but little information was revealed.

The six-month-old cubs had been brought into the country apparently for a circus performance organised by Freij Entertainment International.
 

Another five big cats — a tiger, two adult lions and two lionesses — had been brought into the country for shows supposedly to be held in Abu Dhabi and Fujairah.

Omar Al Busaidi, events manager at Abu Dhabi Municipality, said no requests had been received from the company to hold a circus in the capital. A spokesperson from Freij, however, said their permits for the show in Fujairah had not been issued yet.

He added that the Egyptian man, Mamdouh Al Helou, who tried to sell the cubs illegally could face a penalty. "He is back in Egypt now. He will come before the show starts in Fujairah. This is his problem," he said.

No comment was available from the Ministry of Environment and Water on the issue. Officers from the Convention in International Trade on Endangered Species (Cites) in Dubai were not available for comment either. The animals' entry into the UAE would have been monitored by Cites.

In the meantime, the future of the five big cats that have been put up in makeshift facilities in a remote industrial area outside Al Dhaid remains unclear. They have been restricted to cramped transport containers since the first week of January when they arrived from Kuwait.

The cats are too big to be let out of their cages and their caretakers have not set up any fences that would allow them to have more freedom of movement.

Since the ministry conducted a raid in the area and removed the cubs, shipping containers have been moved around to create an imposing wall around the facility.

It is not clear how the animals are coping with the increasing heat with the gradual onset of summer.