One of the hyenas confiscated from a home in Abu Dhabi.
Fifteen baboon monkeys and two striped hyenas were rescued by environmental officials from a private home in Abu Dhabi this week. The animals, all listed as endangered species by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), were being held illegally in a small cage awaiting sale.
A team from the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) and Ministry of Environment and Water was dispatched to the scene after the EAD received a tipoff about the animals. The owner was taken into custody and faces court action, the Emirate News Agency (WAM) reported.
The animals were safely transferred to the Abu Dhabi Wildlife Center where they will undergo medical examinations.
(Check out this short video about raising big cats at this wildlife center.)
According to an EAD spokesman: “The UAE is intensifying its fight against the illegal trade in endangered species and is implementing strict legal procedures to control this trade and penalize violators. According to federal law, all endangered species specimens, included in the Appendices, require a CITES certificate from the country of origin in addition to an export or re-export permit issued from the concerned authorities in the country”.
Image via GulfNews.com
More on animals in the Middle East:
Qatar Establishing Gene Bank of Local Animals and Plants for Conservation
Israel Creates Anti-Fur Import and Trade Bill, Shtreimels Excluded
