A stray lion cub seen in Khalifa City.
A stray lion cub seen in Khalifa City.

The survey says: keeping pets



A video on The National's website showing a young lion outside a villa in Abu Dhabi's Khalifa City A was a viral sensation, and a reminder that some people in the UAE are illegally keeping exotic animals as pets.

Experts say that keeping protected wild species such as ­lions, tigers and cheetahs in urban environments poses a danger both to the animals and to the people around them. Since it is illegal to keep these animals without a permit, the video had raised questions about how the lion got to be where it was.

But it’s not just big cats that are causing concern. Domestic cats and dogs have also been in the news, with reports about abuse and abandonment.

We put four questions on the subject of pets to users of the TaskSpotting app.

TaskSpotting describes itself as the region’s only advocate marketing platform and pitches our questions to its app community who typically engage with brands to create content, spread awareness and share feedback.

The 4,969 respondents to our survey were largely in favour of animal owners and their pets being licensed, and a majority thought that ownership should be restricted to small domestic pets. However, 1 in 10 respondents thought it OK for big cats to live in villas.

Ain Issa camp:
  • Established in 2016
  • Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
  • Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
  • Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
  • 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
  • NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
  • One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
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Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

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In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

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Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

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Cinco in numbers

Dh3.7 million

The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown

46

The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.

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The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]

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How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday

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The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

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The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.

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Date started: 2014

Founders: Maaz Sheikh, Danny Bates

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Entertainment/Streaming Video On Demand

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Investors/Investment amount: $125 million. Major investors include Starz/Lionsgate, State Street, SEQ and Delta Partners

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding

Jawab Iteiqal
Director: Mohamed Sammy
Starring: Mohamed Ramadan, Ayad Nasaar, Mohamed Adel and Sabry Fawaz
2 stars

Fight card
  • Aliu Bamidele Lasisi (Nigeria) beat Artid Vamrungauea (Thailand) POINTS
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  • Kem Ljungquist (Denmark) beat Mourad Omar (Egypt) TKO
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher:  Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5