A practical lesson in animal welfare

Dubai: Have your children ever petted a furry rabbit or fed carrots and apples to little ponies? If not, they have just the right chance to interact with animals — both familiar and exotic species.

Aisha Kelaif, owner of Dubai Animal Rescue Centre (DARC), has opened her doors to school children, giving them a chance to meet and greet animals she has rescued and homed.

From cuddly chinchillas to grumpy iguanas, pupils get the opportunity to interact with more than 100 species of animals and learn about their habitat and behaviour.

Aisha said: "It is my dream to make it a better place for animals and people. By educating these children I am sure we can make a difference."

Recently, a batch of grade two students from the German International School, Dubai, came to Aisha's home in Al Barsha for an educational tour and had the opportunity to meet animals that they would never otherwise have seen in the UAE.

Daniela Tolle, a teacher at the school, said that while the children were initially apprehensive, they gradually became comfortable with the animals and later were solely interested in feeding them.

She said: "One of the pupils was actually surprised to see how fast the tortoises were eating. ‘If they keep eating like that, they won't be able to fit into their shells,' she told me."

A representative of DARC introduced the children to exotic animals like sugar gliders and chinchillas, which were brought into the country by people who were initially fascinated, but later simply lost interest and abandoned them.

The children also met tortoises and rabbits and fed them food brought especially for them.

While one of the pupils sat back to sketch a picture of her friends feeding the tortoises, another diligently noted the names of all the exotic animals she had seen. "I have never come so close to animals," one of the eight year olds admitted.

However, when Robinson introduced these children to a spiny-tailed lizard and invited them to stroke it, they were anything but scared.

And as the alpacas came galloping out, they were welcomed with a collective gasp and then cheers.

"Most of the children don't have pets at home, so this is quite special," Leanna Busse, one of the school teachers, said.

Those interested in making an education trip to the Dubai Animal Rescue Centre can email Aisha at info@darcuae.com.