Enforcement of exotic animal laws goes hand-in-hand with education

CITES, which the UAE joined in 1990 and a new draft law adopted by the FNC are the two main pieces of legislation governing exotic animal ownership and trade.

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ABU DHABI // The UAE has laws to protect exotic animals and ban the illegal trade of critically endangered animals but enforcement also requires education.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES, which the UAE joined in 1990 and a new draft law adopted by the FNC are the two main pieces of legislation governing exotic animal ownership and trade.

However, the purview of enforcement is shared among many entities.

“Think of it as a puzzle; there are a number of things that need to be done, each component – whether it is legislation, raising awareness, market monitoring, stricter enforcement measures – act as a piece of the puzzle. Not one specific measure will enforce it all,” said Laila Abdullatif, deputy director general of the Emirates Wildlife Society.

She said that when tackling the monitoring of animals being brought into the country, the intricacies of CITES must be understood.

While animals under Appendix I of the CITES convention, which include big cats and primates, are considered illegal to trade for sale, other endangered animals under other appendixes could legally come into the country.

Appendix II, which includes parrots, comprises of animals that are not now threatened with extinction as long as proper monitoring is done.

“It is important that whenever someone is buying an animal that they ask for the proper documentation,” said Ms Abdullatif.

However, despite the laws, more needs to be done.

“Animals are brought in illegally though air transport, they are traded though word of mouth, social media and the black market,” she added.

The FNC law, while still nascent, will bring in much needed enforcement and stringent fines that could lead to clamping down on the black market and social media accounts selling illegal animals.

Under the law, only zoos, wildlife parks, circuses, breeding and research centres are allowed to keep wild or exotic animals. The public is urged to report cases of wild ­animals being kept as pets.

Anyone who takes a leopard, cheetah or any other kind of ­exotic animal out in public will be fined between Dh10,000 and Dh500,000.

People who use an animal to threaten or intimidate others face a Dh700,000 fine and/or jail time. If a person is killed by an animal, its owner can face manslaughter charges and be fined up to Dh400,000.

“We’ve been working with the government on the topic of wildlife trade for many years, so it’s great to see it put in place so its a big first step,” said Ms Abdullatif.

nalwasmi@thenational.ae