Dogs are being left on the streets of Dubai as people flee the war-torn region. Photo / 123rf
Expats fleeing Dubai are abandoning their pets as they rush to leave the Gulf state, vets say.
Some people have been scrambling to get out after Iranian missiles struck sites within the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following the bombing of Iran by the United States and Israel.
Around 14,000 Britons have already contacted the Foreign Office to leave the country and the Government now warns against all but essential travel to the region.
But while countries have laid on flights to return their stranded nationals, some expats living in the UAE are abandoning their pets over travel restrictions or relocation costs.
Vets in Dubai say they are seeing large numbers of cats and dogs being left on the streets as their owners flee. Others report that owners have inquired about euthanising their pets.
K9 Friends Dubai, a dog-rehoming group, reported on social media that it had been “overwhelmed with the number of calls for abandoned puppies or owners wanting to leave behind pets”.
Aditi Gouri, owner of The Barking Lot, a pet boarding service in Dubai, told The Telegraph: “Shelters are overcrowded right now and are doing the best they can – we are doing our best to stay as flexible as possible because we understand these are trying times.”
Volunteers at animal rescue centres have reported hundreds more abandoned pets than usual, leaving shelters at breaking point, with some now unable to care for all the animals.
One volunteer, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I’ve seen around 200 posts now, on WhatsApp groups and Facebook groups – dogs have been found abandoned on the streets, tied to poles and left behind with no owners found.
“Some vets have even confirmed that owners are coming in to euthanise healthy pets because they don’t want to deal with relocation costs or paperwork.
“There is no proper, large-scale shelter system here that can handle this – the few places that exist are always full … on average I personally receive around five messages a day from people saying that they’re leaving, and will put their pet on the street if no one takes it.”
There are reports of animals being left to die in the desert after residents who attempted to leave the region via Oman were prevented from taking them over the UAE border.
One resident in Al Ain found a cat and four kittens that had been left in a crate on her doorstep, with a note from their owner explaining that they were unable to take their pets with them as they fled.
The cats are all in good health and are now up for fostering in the area.
Across the UAE, animal rescue centres and vets have been sharing pictures of crowded shelters and abandoned pets.
One picture shared on Facebook showed a dog tied to a lamp-post in Al-Nahda, Dubai, reportedly left there on Saturday at the start of the war, with its owner nowhere to be found.
A resident has since taken the animal in until a permanent home can be found.
War Paws, a charity which supports animals during times of conflict, described it as incomprehensible that a wealthy country such as the UAE could experience such levels of abandonment.
Louise Hastie, the organisation’s chief executive officer, said: “It’s not just a problem there, it’s happening across Iraq and Ukraine as well … some people just don’t see pets the way we do.
“Abandoning pets at the border or on the streets, not even leaving them with the vet – there’s really no excuse for it, Dubai is an affluent country.”
Hastie is currently stranded in Iraq because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, but in contrast to the behaviour seen in Dubai, said she would stay with her rescued animals “until the roof came down”.
She called for the UAE Government to do more to safeguard animals and ensure that pets remain protected throughout the crisis.
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