The man who fed a cat to his pet dogs as ‘an act of revenge’ has been arrested. As he should have been. Now, the full weight of the law must bear down upon him in order to send an unequivocal message to anyone in the UAE that if they are found guilty of animal abuse, they will not be allowed to get away with it. The stronger and more scary this message, the better.
The laws in the UAE against animal cruelty are strict enough. Under Federal Law 18, individuals who are found guilty of abusing or illegal hunting, buying or selling of animals face a fine of Dh200,000 and a one-year prison term. However, these legal provisions need to be made even tougher. And a new draft law passed by the Federal National Council last June offers hope as it includes life imprisonment and/or a Dh1 million fine. In fact, the first ever National Conference on Animal Welfare was held late last year in Dubai — a first also for the region> It discussed a new national strategy on animal welfare in the making.
These are, undoubtedly, effective ways to combat the issue, but there are other, equally important, measures that must be stepped up. Relentless awareness campaigns and social discourses on the need to treat animals humanely must be concurrent with the force of the law — the more people change their attitudes towards animals in a positive way, the better is the social outcome.
The UAE’s commitment to animal welfare is an integral aspect of its policy-making and animal welfare advocacy by its people has strong, deep roots in the country. Together, these forces must ensure a future of safety and dignity for animals.
