Dubai Police and rescue teams are patrolling in The Springs and Meadows area. Authorities are looking for an exotic wild animal on the loose that was sighted in the residential community on Tuesday. Pawan Singh / The National
Dubai Police and rescue teams are patrolling in The Springs and Meadows area. Authorities are looking for an exotic wild animal on the loose that was sighted in the residential community on Tuesday. Pawan Singh / The National
Police officers and Dubai Municipality officials were in Meadows 9 on Wednesday afternoon. Courtesy: Shuchita Gautam / The National
Police officers and Dubai Municipality officials were in Meadows 9 on Wednesday afternoon. Courtesy: Shuchita Gautam / The National
A police official prepares to launch an aerial drone to scan the Springs district, south of Dubai Marina, following reports of a big cat on the loose. Authorities urged the public to call 999 if they spot a creature that resembles a large black cat. The National
A police official prepares to launch an aerial drone to scan the Springs district, south of Dubai Marina, following reports of a big cat on the loose. Authorities urged the public to call 999 if they spot a creature that resembles a large black cat. The National
Dubai Municipality is looking into claims that an exotic black cat was spotted roaming around a neighbourhood in the emirate on Tuesday. Shuchita Gautam / The National
Dubai Municipality is looking into claims that an exotic black cat was spotted roaming around a neighbourhood in the emirate on Tuesday. Shuchita Gautam / The National
Authorities advised members of the community to exercise caution around what was believed to be a wild cat and to call 999 if they spot it. Pawan Singh / The National
Authorities advised members of the community to exercise caution around what was believed to be a wild cat and to call 999 if they spot it. Pawan Singh / The National
Police cars, a municipality car and an ambulance seen at the entrance of Springs 4. Authorities are looking for a big black cat that was sighted in the community on Tuesday. Shuchita Gautam / The National
Police cars, a municipality car and an ambulance seen at the entrance of Springs 4. Authorities are looking for a big black cat that was sighted in the community on Tuesday. Shuchita Gautam / The National
A police car on patrol. Emaar security says the animal is still on the loose but an extensive search is underway. Pawan Singh/The National
A police car on patrol. Emaar security says the animal is still on the loose but an extensive search is underway. Pawan Singh/The National

UAE

Search continues after suspected big cat sighting in Dubai suburb

Police and municipal officials conducted an extensive search in the Springs area to find and capture a 'wild animal'

Shuchita Gautam
Shuchita Gautam

May 19, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

Latest: 'Chiselled jaw, big shoulders and long tail' - Dubai resident tells of encounter with big cat

The search continued on Wednesday for an exotic wild animal on the loose after a suspected sighting in a Dubai suburb a day earlier.

Dubai Police officers used drones to scan the Springs neighbourhood, south of Dubai Marina, after apparent sightings by residents of a 'large black cat'.

Authorities advised members of the community to exercise caution around what was believed to be a wild cat and to call 999 if they spot it.

Officials said they were taking the reports seriously and had deployed police and municipal officials to investigate, but urged the public not to panic.

In tweets posted by Dubai Media Office, police said bringing any kind of wild animal into a public environment was strictly prohibited under the emirate’s laws.

Anyone found guilty can face a jail term of up to six months and severe financial penalties.

A police official prepares to launch an aerial drone to scan the Springs district, south of Dubai Marina, following reports of a big cat on the loose. Authorities urged the public to call 999 if they spot a creature that resembles a large black cat. The National
A police official prepares to launch an aerial drone to scan the Springs district, south of Dubai Marina, following reports of a big cat on the loose. Authorities urged the public to call 999 if they spot a creature that resembles a large black cat. The National

Dubai Police also urged the public to call 901 if they see the animal.

Security staff and municipality vehicles were seen searching the area when The National visited.

“We have been looking for the animal since it was allegedly spotted by a resident this morning,” a security guard said.

“Dubai Municipality officers also came to the Springs 3. Security guards are in the area and we are trying to find it.”

Animal experts said the animal appeared to be a jaguar or panther after they viewed purported footage of it.

Sara Elliott, founder of the British Veterinary Hospital, said it appeared to be a young black leopard or panther.

“Without specifically seeing the full size of the animal or a close-up, it’s impossible to say which breed it is," she said.

“Leopards are smaller in size – adults only reach about 30 kilograms – so it appears to be in line with that kind of sizing.”

The world's amazing animals - in pictures

Two bull elephants are seen at Ol Donyo lodge in the foothills of the Chyulu Hills, bordering the Chyulu Hills National Park in the east of the Amboseli ecosystem, Kenya. Tusk via AP Images
Two bull elephants are seen at Ol Donyo lodge in the foothills of the Chyulu Hills, bordering the Chyulu Hills National Park in the east of the Amboseli ecosystem, Kenya. Tusk via AP Images
A tiger looks straight into a remote camera installed in a forest in western Thailand. Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation / EPA
A tiger looks straight into a remote camera installed in a forest in western Thailand. Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation / EPA
Cheetah mother Afra looks at her four little cubs at their enclosure at the zoo in Vienna, Austria. AP Photo
Cheetah mother Afra looks at her four little cubs at their enclosure at the zoo in Vienna, Austria. AP Photo
An earth bumblebee sits on the blossom of a snowberry and collects nectar for the winter supply with its long sucking trunk at the end of the summer dress in Berlin, Germany. dpa via AP
An earth bumblebee sits on the blossom of a snowberry and collects nectar for the winter supply with its long sucking trunk at the end of the summer dress in Berlin, Germany. dpa via AP
Chipmunks run along a rock ledge at the Horseshoe Park overlook in Rocky Mountain National Park in Grand Lake, Colorado, USA. AP Photo
Chipmunks run along a rock ledge at the Horseshoe Park overlook in Rocky Mountain National Park in Grand Lake, Colorado, USA. AP Photo
Icelandic horses stand in their paddock at a stud farm in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany. AP Photo
Icelandic horses stand in their paddock at a stud farm in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany. AP Photo
A gorilla holds baby in Bwindi National Park Uganda. Uganda Wildlife Authority / AP Photo
A gorilla holds baby in Bwindi National Park Uganda. Uganda Wildlife Authority / AP Photo
A Brown spider monkey baby is seen with its mother in the zoo park of Santa Fe in Medellin, Colombia. EPA
A Brown spider monkey baby is seen with its mother in the zoo park of Santa Fe in Medellin, Colombia. EPA
A lion is seen at Bioparque Wakata in Jaime Duque park, in Briceno municipality near Bogota, Colombia. AFP
A lion is seen at Bioparque Wakata in Jaime Duque park, in Briceno municipality near Bogota, Colombia. AFP
Pelicans approach a person on a bench in St James's Park in London, Britain. PA via AP
Pelicans approach a person on a bench in St James's Park in London, Britain. PA via AP
Charolais cattle grazes on a dry meadow at a livestock farm in Nouan, northwestern France. AFP
Charolais cattle grazes on a dry meadow at a livestock farm in Nouan, northwestern France. AFP
A little auk takes flight from its hillside rocky habitat during a summer heat wave on Svalbard archipelago near Longyearbyen, Norway. Getty Images
A little auk takes flight from its hillside rocky habitat during a summer heat wave on Svalbard archipelago near Longyearbyen, Norway. Getty Images
Tigers are seen at Bioparque Wakata in Jaime Duque park, in Briceno municipality near Bogota, Colombia. AFP
Tigers are seen at Bioparque Wakata in Jaime Duque park, in Briceno municipality near Bogota, Colombia. AFP
A hare sits on a harvested field next to straw bales near Herrnleis, in Austria. EPA
A hare sits on a harvested field next to straw bales near Herrnleis, in Austria. EPA
A pair of pileated woodpeckers team up in pursuit of insects on a dead pine tree in Freeport, Maine, USA. AP Photo
A pair of pileated woodpeckers team up in pursuit of insects on a dead pine tree in Freeport, Maine, USA. AP Photo
Keyah, a hoest monkey, cuddles her newly born cub, in her enclosure at the Mulhouse zoo, in Mulhouse, eastern France. AFP
Keyah, a hoest monkey, cuddles her newly born cub, in her enclosure at the Mulhouse zoo, in Mulhouse, eastern France. AFP
Cattle egrets fly in Le Grand-Luce, northwestern France. AFP
Cattle egrets fly in Le Grand-Luce, northwestern France. AFP
Rhino calves feed at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation at Bokakhat, Assam, India. AP Photo
Rhino calves feed at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation at Bokakhat, Assam, India. AP Photo
An egret bird at a lake in Al Maadea district of Behera Governorate, Egypt. EPA
An egret bird at a lake in Al Maadea district of Behera Governorate, Egypt. EPA
A record 876 flamingo chicks are hatched at Abu Dhabi’s Al Wathba Wetland Reserve in Abu Dhabi, UAE, this season. Victor Besa /The National
A record 876 flamingo chicks are hatched at Abu Dhabi’s Al Wathba Wetland Reserve in Abu Dhabi, UAE, this season. Victor Besa /The National
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
  1. Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
  2. Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
  3. Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
  4. Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
  5. Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
  6. The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
  7. Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269

*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year

Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
  • Option 2: 50% across three years
  • Option 3: 30% across five years 
Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

Analysis

Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more

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Date of launch: November 2016

Founder: David Tobias

Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers

Sector: Technology

Size: 18 employees

Stage: Embarking on a Series A round to raise $5 million in the first quarter of 2019 with a 20 per cent stake

Investors: Seed round was self-funded with “millions of dollars” 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The biog

Favourite pet: cats. She has two: Eva and Bito

Favourite city: Cape Town, South Africa

Hobby: Running. "I like to think I’m artsy but I’m not".

Favourite move: Romantic comedies, specifically Return to me. "I cry every time".

Favourite spot in Abu Dhabi: Saadiyat beach

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Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal

Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.

School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.

“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.  

“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”

England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

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Thursday, November 30:

10.20am, Pitch 3, v 100 World Legends Project
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Friday, December 1:

9am, Pitch 4, v SBA Pirates

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