Cool Cats
How many of you have seen wild animals riding in cars with their owners while driving? It's a common scene in Qatar.
Actually so common it's become quite the norm, some may even argue it as becoming part of the overall Khaleeji culture.
Qatar, along with several other neighboring countries such as the UAE, has started this trend of owning exotic animals in homes as pets. These animals are seen as a symbol of status and wealth due to their hefty price and rarity.
Many of the animals owned include cheetahs, tigers, lions, jaguars, panthers, leaopards, and cougars. These owners believe that having these cats as pets makes them look cool, however this puts them at risk of being labeled as animal abusers.
For isntance, in Abu Dhabi, many of these animals are bought with a license, however many people buy animals without applying for the proper permission and hence making them illegal purchases.
Not only are there social consequences to this practice, it can cause danger to owners and neighbors, and the environmental impact on migrating often endangered animals out of their natural habitats.
In fact, a few years ago a full grown tiger escaped from his owner and was seen wandering the streets of Doha, until finally reaching Education City. This was a huge issue because students received emails warning them to stay indoors because there was a tiger on the loose.
You would expect the tiger would run away from a zoo, not someone's house, so clearly having a wild cat as a pet without the necessary precautions is not a good idea.
More recently, in January of this year, a cheetah was apparently sold via Qatar Living (Yes. Right here. On this site) for some QR35,000 – a little less than the asking price of QR40,000.
Although keeping wild animals as pets is illegal under Qatari law, some people are still out there parading their precious pets to the public.
I recommend the best time to see these exotic beauties is during National Day celebrations (December 18th).
So what do you think? Cool or lame?
http://doha-birds.com/forum/index.php
people who will not reach apple in three always complain that this apple is not nice and not sweet .
so please manage you own life .
Yeah really really cool. That's why no countries have laws to protect wildlife and everyone has a tiger in their car....not.
You may especially like to watch the videos of where the exotic animals and birds come from, see that for every tiger poached, another 2 or 3 are shot to steal the baby.
Anyone who is in any doubt shoud google CITES, which, for some reason, Qatar is a member of.
It is unsurprising that people think they are cool cats, I expect they are the same people who buy kittens and then dump them in the desert to die in the heat when they get sick of them.
I thought Qatar Living Website does not allow sale of live animals on this Site?
I do see a cat loitering in our compound, am selling it for 10QR. Don't know if it is cool but certainly very dirty.
I have seen Rizks and his pet monkey, but never lion or cheetahs.
To each his own I say.. As long as they don't endanger the public.
YKK, Man- Animal love is as old as they themselves are ...... It should go on ......
Tue, 26.11.2013 , 07.56 hrs ..
Help me understand it, you say it is illegal but at the same time you allow sale of these animals through your page? You even seem proud of it?!