An animal rescue group is offering a Dh10,000 reward to help find those responsible for a "heinous" act of animal cruelty in Umm Al Quwain in which a dog had its front paw chopped off.
Members of Stray Dogs Centre UAQ told of their horror after finding the dog in "immense" pain last week.
They said the stricken animal, who they named Roman, was subjected to abuse on "another level" beyond anything they had witnessed.
Another dog, given the name Apollo, was found nearby with multiple cuts that are also thought to have been caused deliberately.
These abusers need to be found and these cases thoroughly investigated
The dogs were discovered in the industrial area of Umm Al Quwain city after the centre received reports on Thursday evening of an injured animal.
“We were told his paw was missing,” said Amirah William, the centre's owner.
“We sent our team, and that’s when Apollo was spotted as well with lacerations to his head, face and body.
“We have witnessed many heinous acts of abuse in the past, but the severity of Roman’s case is on another level.”
The centre said on its Facebook page the case was “one of the most upsetting rescues we have ever done”.
“These abusers need to be found and these cases thoroughly investigated. This type of abuse speaks volumes about the evil we live amongst,” the group said.
Roman was subsequently diagnosed as suffering from septicaemia, which is blood poisoning caused by bacteria.
Despite the incident, which is thought to have happened early in the week, Roman is described as a “friendly and trusting boy”.
Vets will deal with his septicaemia and, once his condition is stabilised, will fully amputate his front right leg, which was cut off below the knee in the attack.
Ms William said animal cruelty should be reported through the official Ministry of Climate Change and Environment portal and cases will then be referred back to the relevant emirate.
In July, 2019 the ministry launched a service where residents can report animal cruelty.
The online biosecurity early notification system allows people to report incidents related to infectious animal diseases and breaches of welfare laws, including cruelty and illegal possession of dangerous animals.
The government said that cases involving the torture and abuse of animals, or actions “causing [their] exhaustion” would attract a Dh1,000 fine.
The centre has reported the incident.
However Ms William said that, without witnesses or CCTV footage, “finding the perpetrator is almost impossible”.
"Therefore we are offering a Dh10,000 reward sponsored by one of our supporters in the hope that it may motivate someone to speak up," said Ms William.
While Apollo suffered multiple cuts, the centre said he was lucky not to have been seriously hurt and his lacerations are expected to heal easily.
The two dogs will eventually be available for adoption and Ms William said that, as is often seen in cases of cruelty, people have already come forward offering them homes.
There have been previous cases in Umm Al Quwain’s industrial area where stray dogs are thought to have been injured deliberately.
As reported in The National, in November last year the centre found a dog in the area with a broken spine and other injuries.
Earlier this month a cat in Abu Dhabi died after being shot, while others were also hurt.
Anyone with information on the incident in Umm Al Quwain is asked to contact the stray dog centre on 050 993 8032.
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
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
6.30pm: The Madjani Stakes (PA) Group 3 Dh175,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Aatebat Al Khalediah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer).
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Winner: Golden Goal, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
Brave CF 27 fight card
Welterweight:
Abdoul Abdouraguimov (champion, FRA) v Jarrah Al Selawe (JOR)
Lightweight:
Anas Siraj Mounir (TUN) v Alex Martinez (CAN)
Welterweight:
Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA) v Khamzat Chimaev (SWE)
Middleweight:
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Rustam Chsiev (RUS)
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) v Christofer Silva (BRA)
Super lightweight:
Alex Nacfur (BRA) v Dwight Brooks (USA)
Bantamweight:
Jalal Al Daaja (JOR) v Tariq Ismail (CAN)
Chris Corton (PHI) v Zia Mashwani (PAK)
Featherweight:
Sulaiman (KUW) v Abdullatip (RUS)
Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) v Mohammad Al Katib (JOR)
The specs
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Virtual banks explained
What is a virtual bank?
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority defines it as a bank that delivers services through the internet or other electronic channels instead of physical branches. That means not only facilitating payments but accepting deposits and making loans, just like traditional ones. Other terms used interchangeably include digital or digital-only banks or neobanks. By contrast, so-called digital wallets or e-wallets such as Apple Pay, PayPal or Google Pay usually serve as intermediaries between a consumer’s traditional account or credit card and a merchant, usually via a smartphone or computer.
What’s the draw in Asia?
Hundreds of millions of people under-served by traditional institutions, for one thing. In China, India and elsewhere, digital wallets such as Alipay, WeChat Pay and Paytm have already become ubiquitous, offering millions of people an easy way to store and spend their money via mobile phone. Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines are also among the world’s biggest under-banked countries; together they have almost half a billion people.
Is Hong Kong short of banks?
No, but the city is among the most cash-reliant major economies, leaving room for newcomers to disrupt the entrenched industry. Ant Financial, an Alibaba Group Holding affiliate that runs Alipay and MYBank, and Tencent Holdings, the company behind WeBank and WeChat Pay, are among the owners of the eight ventures licensed to create virtual banks in Hong Kong, with operations expected to start as early as the end of the year.
The biog
Profession: Senior sports presenter and producer
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