Big cats have no place in the city

Keeping lions and other exotic animals as pets presents a danger to them and to us

Video footage of a young lion in front of a villa in Khalifa City A in Abu Dhabi has become a social media sensation. It’s not the first time pictures have emerged of a big cat or other wild animal in an urban environment. Pictures of a cheetah in the passenger seat of a parked car in Dubai went viral a few years ago, as did reports of a lion roaming the city’s streets this time last year. There is a temptation to dismiss this phenomenon as a quirky, harmless byproduct of life in a prosperous country where some people prize expensive and unusual things. However, the fact is that the possession of exotic species is illegal and it poses great risks to the animal, its owners and the community at large.

The law is clear: ownership of these animals is restricted to zoos, wildlife parks and a handful of individuals who are properly licensed and have the wherewithal to accommodate them safely. Animals such as this have specific dietary and other health requirements, and they need the space to roam and proper separation from those they may threaten or who pose a danger to them. They are not to be kept in suburban villas, even at a young age. It is not difficult to imagine a scenario where the animal in Khalifa City A could have been injured, perhaps by a vehicle, or could have hurt or killed another animal or a person.

As well as enforcing its own laws, the UAE has global obligations under the Cites agreement to prevent the exploitation and possible extinction of endangered wildlife. We take this seriously. Dubai authorities alone have seized more than three million animal products in the past three years.

However, a young lion does not just suddenly appear in an Abu Dhabi villa. It was either imported illegally or was unlawfully bred in captivity in this country. Somebody arranged this, and somebody organised the animal’s sale and delivery to a person who was clearly unable to care for it. When a wildlife officer went to the villa, she was told that the lion had been “sent to Dubai”. We hope and expect that the authorities there will follow up, and take another step towards eliminating this illegal, unethical and dangerous trade.