An illegal trade in rare wild animals including lions, leopards and crocodiles continues to operate openly in Dubai, experts warned.
Elsayed Ahmed Mohamed, programme director with the International Fund for Animal Welfare, which is fighting the pet trade, found dozens of examples of endangered animals being sold on UAE websites in a recent investigation, Dubai tabloid 7Days reported on Wednesday.
Mohamed said none of the traders held relevant documents permitting them to sell the animals.
“We have a lot more to do to educate people about the terrible effect this trade is having in the wild. Whole species are being wiped out because of poaching and trading,” he was quoted as saying.
Exotic animals such as tigers and cheetahs are popular pets for rich Gulf Arabs who buy the animals from unlicensed traders
A four-month-old lioness was offered for 65,000 dirhams ($17,700) by one trader. Another trader in Al Barsha offered a baby loris - an endangered primate also known as a bush baby - for 10,000 dirhams, the report said.