Dubai: After the discovery of a pack of lion cubs in a flat in the Northern Emirates, Gulf News has found that other wild animals have been put up for sale illegally in animal markets in the UAE.
Hyena cubs were the most readily available animals among promises by illegal traders to bring in "anything you want", from cheetahs, monkeys and crocodiles to anteaters.
Orders are bagged behind closed doors where traders hold out colourful books for buyers to pick and choose the animals of their choice. The actual origin of the animals remains blurry but their health is of high interest to procure a profitable sale.
According to one trader at the Sharjah animal market, certain veterinarians moonlighting to fill their own pockets are relied upon to give health certificates attesting the animal is healthy.
During a visit to the market, Gulf News was shown two five-month-old hyena cubs for sale at Dh18,000, reduced from Dh20,000 as one of them had a leg injury after being caught in a trap.
"One has a broken leg but we have fixed it now. It is 90 per cent fixed before the medicine would leak out of its leg. This is a special price because he has been injured from before," said the trader.
He said the striped hyenas were caught in traps in Oman. "We can bring them anytime. There is a market for hyenas and cheetahs now. We had eight [hyenas] but one died," he said.
The trader also brought a baby raccoon "for playing", while the hyenas were inspected and photographed.
Five adult hyenas were also seen in a private compound near Al Dhaid, pacing behind bars in a cage. Nothing is known about the origin of these animals too.
The striped hyena is not on a Cites (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna) list but according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List, it is a near-threatened species, which means it is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future.
According to the source from the animal market, monkeys are also smuggled in water tanks on dhows coming from Pakistan.
"They put the monkeys in the tank and cover them up with a false bottom and fill the tank. If someone looks in they just see water. Once a shipment came in but half the monkeys were dead," he said.
In danger: From the savannah
Striped hyenas live in savannah, thorn bush and stony desert regions throughout northern and eastern Africa, Arabia, Asia Minor and India. Their range is within 6 miles of water.
There are three species of larger hyena striped, brown and spotted. Brown and striped hyenas do not make loud whooping calls like the spotted species but all have elaborate greeting rituals. The striped hyena can make itself look nearly 40 per cent bigger by erecting the long hair on its mane, which it does when it feels threatened. It has a life span 10-12 years, but can live longer in captivity.
The illegal wildlife trade is worth $6 billion (about Dh22 billion) a year according to a report in The Independent. Wildlife trade is the second-biggest direct threat to species, after habitat destruction.
The figure was revealed in July following a meeting by Cites and top security officials in Beijing.
Cites has been working with Interpol to enforce the UN agreement to tackle the rapid decline in wildlife through over-exploitation by trade.
