The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
A young Emirati woman is hoping to change attitudes towards animals by tapping into Bedouin values she says some people have lost sight of.
After graduating from UAE University in July, Dhabia AlQubaisi, 23, used her veterinary medicine degree to jump straight into volunteer work, caring for community animals and thousands of abandoned pets on the streets and construction sites of Abu Dhabi.
It is a much undervalued area of veterinary care, she said, one in which she hopes to improve attitudes to animals from some sections of society.
I want to change the thinking of some Emiratis and encourage rules that would support feeding stations and more TNR programmes for community cats
“When I graduated I wanted to help out in a clinic, especially in a community that helps stray cats because there is not much spotlight in that area,” she said.
“People are mainly concerned about pets or camels, rather than community animals.
“I wanted to do something different with my career to help these animals.”
Veterinary medicine was added to the roster of degrees available to study at UAE University in 2013.
The five-year course is the only one of its kind in the country and offers veterinary basic sciences education alongside intensive clinical training in specific animal species.
Dr AlQubaisi is from the second year of graduates to pursue a career in the field, and has gone down the less common route of helping volunteers with trap, neuter and release programmes.
“I recently helped out with an adoption programme and some of the cats now are going to forever homes. That is very rewarding,” she said.
“In the UAE, the rules regarding animal welfare have changed.
“By showing people we do care about this, especially community cats, may help spread more compassion towards the animals around them.”
Dr AlQubaisi said her upbringing and regular visits to her grandparents in Liwa to help with farm animals developed a strong bond with their welfare.
“I come from a Bedouin family that loves farm animals,” she said.
“Since I was a child, my father would take me to the farm to show how to care for them.
“It was special to interact with goats and camels, that has helped me develop a sense of loving towards them.
“It is part of my identity and something I am very proud of.
“The UAE is developing and some people have lost sight of the true Emirati life.
“Going back to that sort of life in Liwa brings me back down to Earth very quickly.”
Dr Al Qubaisi began her university course in 2015. She spent the final six months seconded to a veterinary clinic in Budapest, Hungary. She said the experience gave her a valuable insight into how animals are treated and cared for abroad.
She is now volunteering at the Animalia clinic in Al Bateen in Abu Dhabi.
Animalia provides a community backed model for animal welfare and helped to rescue about 100 cats living in the basement of three tower blocks at Mina Plaza before they were demolished in November.
Dr AlQubaisi said the project suggests a changing attitude to street cats.
“My observations while training in Budapest tell me the treatment of animals is perhaps more conscientious than it is here,” she said.
“That would be understandable since practising the veterinary profession has been ongoing for centuries in Europe.
“The quality of veterinary care here in the UAE is improving and as Emirati veterinarians we can have a major impact because there is room for growth.”
During the first three months in Budapest, students supervised small animal treatments in practice with different diagnostic methods.
The rest of the time was dedicated to learning about cattle and larger animals, such as horses.
“It was great to see how other countries work and treat their animals," she said.
“This helped me realise I wanted to work with smaller animal clinics, and one of the reasons why I wanted to volunteer at Animalia.
“I would like to have a positive effect on animals in the UAE through my career, especially community cats.
“Hopefully I can be a positive impact on locals too.
“I want to change the thinking of some Emiratis and encourage rules that support feeding stations and more TNR programmes for community cats.”
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
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What are the regulations?
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
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- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
Tewellah by Nawal Zoghbi is out now.
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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'Dark Waters'
Directed by: Todd Haynes
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, William Jackson Harper
Rating: ****
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
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Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
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Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
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MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Everton
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
When: Sunday, kick-off 7pm (UAE)
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
