Latest: Dubai 'panther' sighting just a domestic cat, police say
A Dubai resident told of how she spotted a big cat in her garden, sparking a full-scale search by the authorities.
Eilidh Shaw, 39, who lives in the Meadows, told The National she saw the creature prowling near her swimming pool on Saturday evening.
Ms Shaw, her husband and three young children – aged six, four and six months – watched as the animal strolled just metres away, before slipping out through the fence.
The cat, thought to be a young panther or jaguar, then reappeared in the garden the next evening, on Sunday, which is when Ms Shaw shot a video and reported it to Dubai Municipality.
“This very odd, large cat walked past the pool,” she said.
“To me it just looked like a weird, oversized cat with a very strange body build. It had a chiselled jaw, big shoulders and a slim back and long tail.
“It was big enough that it caught my attention but not big enough that I felt it was an exotic wild animal.
"It wasn’t fazed by us being there one bit.”
Less than an hour after reporting the sighting to Dubai Municipality on Sunday, she received a call saying the animal welfare officers were investigating the claim.
After forwarding the video clip to the municipality, the lead co-ordinator visited the site and said it was "unlikely to be a domestic cat" because of the size of the prints.
“They were on it straight away and alerted security in the area. They were very responsive and have taken the report very seriously,” she said.
"The police and municipality officers were very vigilant and they set a humane trap just outside the garden, on a path alongside the nearby lake, with food inside to try and catch the cat.
"The animal welfare officer said because it had passed through our garden several times, it was obviously using it as a path, so it could return."
For now, Ms Shaw said they were staying indoors and keeping the children out of the garden.
She said she sent the video on a small WhatsApp group, in good faith, to see if people could identify what breed the cat was, and unfortunately it caused a big stir and so much speculation.
On Wednesday morning, the trap was still empty but the family was being kept up to date with the search progress by the authorities.
Dubai Police officers used drones to scan the Springs and Meadows neighbourhood on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Officials advised residents to exercise caution and to call 999 if they spot the creature, but said there was no need for panic.
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Where to donate in the UAE
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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