Pet shelters in the United Arab Emirates are noticing a worrying trend. As soon as the temperatures soar in the summer months, more pets are being abandoned. According to a local paper, the Kaleej Times, local UAE families escape the heat which can exceed 40C daily by going abroad for long vacations.
Some pet owners give their animals to the care of clinics or shelters before their trips, local pet care experts reveal, while others go as far as abandoning them on the streets. Last winter 140 cats were found dumped in the desert outside of Abu Dhabi.
The animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is offering a $5,000 reward for information on “whoever dumped these cats in the desert,” said. PETA Asia Vice-President Jason Baker: “This act of cruelty must not be swept under the rug … The solution to the homeless-animal crisis is spaying and neutering and adopting from overworked and understaffed shelters, which PETA Asia has been asking the UAE to require for years,” Baker said.
Souheil Abdulla, managing partner at Pure Life Veterinarian Treatment told the Kaleej Times: “When people travel, they unfortunately abandon their pets. They mostly do it to cats because they’re easier to dispose.”
He added that such behavior “showed a lack of responsibility”. The expert said that it’s sad how some people consider pets or cats as accessories to their lives, instead of part of their family.
While wild pets wandering the streets of Abu Dhabi are less common than in 2011 (wild pet ownership is now banned), climate change will be creating more displaced pets and people as some parts of the world become intolerable for supporting life. Bahrain has started a mid-day work ban for foreign workers and construction workers to protect them from the ravaging health effects of the heat.
Related: Cruel cat woman deported from the UAE
But who is protecting the animals? If you are in the UAE and want to know more about animal abandonment due to climate change, contact the RAK Animal Welfare Centre. The shelter is supported by the government of Ras Al Khaimah and opened in 2010 rehomes socialised, trained, and healthy dogs.
If you want to help with cats, The Sharjah Cats and Dogs Shelter is a non-profit that rescues abandoned pets and finds them homes. It has a physical location on Airport Road in Muzairah and is open to walk-in visitors from Monday to Thursday, 8am to 3pm and Sunday 2pm to 6pm. It is closed on Fridays and Saturdays. All pets are spayed or neutered, vaccinated and microchipped.
Back in 2015 The National said it’s common every summer in the UAE and that some shelters see pets handed in daily by locals who are traveling abroad for the summer and who do not want to ay expensive boarding fees. Some are leaving the UAE for good and don’t want to relocate with their cats and dogs. The trend starts in April when it starts to heat up.
