SHARJAH // Despite countless warnings from experts about the dangers of keeping wild animals as pets, they are still easily available if you know where to look.
Posing as tourists, within just 20 minutes of walking into the Sharjah Animal and Bird Souq, reporters from The National were offered a five-month-old white tiger cub for Dh35,000.
"I can get you the baby tiger by Friday," the Pakistani shopkeeper said after being asked for something a little more unusual as a pet.
Kneeling on the ground to feed dozens of green parrot chicks in a cardboard box, he added: "It's from a breeder, a white tiger, very beautiful, very cute."
It was not, he claimed, dangerous or aggressive. "It has all the injections from the vet but will cost you Dh35,000. It comes with all the documents and paperwork you need, like a passport, but that will cost you Dh300 extra.
"Don't worry about the police. It's not illegal."
All commercial trade in tigers or their parts has been banned since 1987 under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites).
Tigers are listed as an Appendix I species, which is an animal threatened with extinction. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that there are 3,200 tigers left in the wild. A breeder of any animal under Appendix I must have a genuine certificate from Cites stating that the parent animal is registered under the convention and can be verified by authorities in the UAE.
"There is a lot of illegal activity going on across the world regarding this kind of breeding," said Dr Reza Khan, Dubai Municipality's wildlife and zoo specialist.
"Each Appendix I animal that is being bred in captivity must have a unique ID number that is stored globally among member countries and can be traced very quickly."
Back in the Sharjah souq, the Pakistani man's cramped shop was filled with pigeons, parrots and other squawking ornamental birds in cages. He said he could also get lion cubs - but not immediately, as it depended on when they were bred.
"I'm not sure when, but they are very tame. You can hold them and stroke them like a normal cat. They don't bite or scratch," he said.
Walking around the other shops, our reporters also spotted a hooded one-year-old falcon for sale for Dh15,000 sitting on a perch behind a cage of brightly coloured canaries.
There was even a small stingray swimming in a fish tank and on sale for Dh280.
"It's from Thailand and it's the only one we have," said the Indian shopkeeper. "We've had it for about 15 days. It's a freshwater stingray, it's perfectly legal here. It's the saltwater variety that is banned," he said.
He proffered a plastic tub of fish food. "Just feed it this stuff twice a day and it's not a problem," he said.
Most shopkeepers were far more suspicious when asked about the sale of exotic animals.
"I don't sell them but you could try the shop four doors down," said one worker when asked where a baby crocodile could be bought.
Dr Khan said fewer people were keeping wild animals as pets than before, but it remained a serious problem. He said unsuspecting owners could be exposing themselves to diseases such as hepatitis and rabies, as well as the threat of spontaneous attacks.
Many wild animals were traded through the UAE before the country signed up to Cites.
The UAE signed the agreement in 1974, withdrawing between 1988 and 1990. A federal law that included the Cites treaty was passed in 2002 and in 2008 an Arabic list of prohibited species was distributed to officials.
Kevin Budd, the assistant operations manager at the Sharjah Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife, said the authorities and airline companies were working to control the trade through airports and to ensure any animal shipments passing through the UAE meet all the international and national requirements.
The result is that bringing animals in by air is risky. An Emirati man was arrested in a Bangkok airport last week after two leopards were discovered in his suitcase. Two more leopards, a gibbon, a marmoset and a bear were found in a bag nearby.
However, "people may be able to come through other channels", said Dr Khan, by bringing animals through the desert and by boat from countries including Somalia, Djibouti, Sudan and Egypt.
The most common wild animals kept as pets in the Emirates include lions, tigers, gorillas, chimps, baboons, snakes, Nile crocodiles and cheetahs.
Mr Budd said demand was fed by availability. "These species also have specific dietary and behavioural requirements, which non-professionals may not fully appreciate," he said.
The centre has also received animals with their claws and teeth removed by their owners.
"These are wild animals and are in no way domesticated; at any time they may attack the owners, their family, their friends or neighbours."
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SQUADS
India
Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur
New Zealand
Kane Williamson (captain), Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Henry Nicholls, Ish Sodhi, George Worker, Glenn Phillips, Matt Henry, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Trent Boult
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Analysis
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
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5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
THE SPECS
Cadillac XT6 2020 Premium Luxury
Engine: 3.6L V-6
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 310hp
Torque: 367Nm
Price: Dh280,000
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
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14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Liverpool v Manchester United - 3.30pm
Burnley v West Ham United - 6pm
Crystal Palace v Chelsea - 6pm
Manchester City v Stoke City - 6pm
Swansea City v Huddersfield Town - 6pm
Tottenham Hotspur v Bournemouth - 6pm
Watford v Arsenal - 8.30pm
Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Everton - 4.30pm
Southampton v Newcastle United - 7pm
Monday
Leicester City v West Bromwich Albion - 11pm
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The biog
Name: Atheja Ali Busaibah
Date of birth: 15 November, 1951
Favourite books: Ihsan Abdel Quddous books, such as “The Sun will Never Set”
Hobbies: Reading and writing poetry
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company profile
Name: Oulo.com
Founder: Kamal Nazha
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2020
Number of employees: 5
Sector: Technology
Funding: $450,000
Ovo's tips to find extra heat
- Open your curtains when it’s sunny
- Keep your oven open after cooking
- Have a cuddle with pets and loved ones to help stay cosy
- Eat ginger but avoid chilli as it makes you sweat
- Put on extra layers
- Do a few star jumps
- Avoid alcohol
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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Series result
1st ODI Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets
2nd ODI Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets
3rd ODI Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets
4th ODI Zimbabwe won by 4 wickets
5th ODI Zimbabwe won by 3 wickets
