RSPCA say animals could become ‘hidden victims’ of conflict as charities in Gulf city report being overwhelmed

Thousands of pets are being abandoned in Dubai as their owners flee the Middle East because of the Iran war, animal charities have said.

The RSPCA said pets of fleeing UK nationals could become “hidden victims” of the conflict as people who had relocated to the Gulf city scramble for an exit and struggle to bring their animals.

Last week, the UK government operated an emergency evacuation flight for people leaving the Middle East as the war continued. About 45,000 British nationals have left the Middle East since 1 March.

Hannah Mainds, the chief executive of the RSPCA Blackpool and north Lancashire branch, previously lived in Dubai and helped care for pets left behind after their owners suddenly left the country.

“Some [pets] were microchipped and clearly once loved, but their families had gone. It’s heartbreaking for rescuers and frightening for the animals,” Mainds said.

  • Admiral Patrick@dubvee.orgEnglish
    12·
    1 day ago

    This is why I would die: Under no circumstances would I abandon my dogs. They are literally little furry family members.

    And I’m not exaggerating. I’ve hunkered down during tornadoes, blizzards with no power/heat, and other weather events where I should have sought shelter elsewhere (most don’t accept pets, and I couldn’t make it to the nearest friends house to crash there).

  • Tomtits@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    6·
    22 hours ago

    Who knew that the people living in Dubai could be really materialistic and only care about themselves

      • MountingSuspicion@reddthat.com
        3·
        20 hours ago

        Dubai is known for its for particularly egregious rights violations. Other countries have those too, but the article mentions people from the UK. Moving from the UK to the UAE does signal, at least to me, that human rights are not that big of a concern for you. The UK has a 91/100 vs UAE 18/100 “freedom” score. If the same article was about people fleeing Russia or Sudan back to the UK, I imagine there’d be a similar response. But Dubai in particular has a huge wealth gap, so on top of spending money to prop up an oppressive state, they are still able to surround themselves with luxury. I don’t think that’s racist, as much as unfortunate.

        • Powderhorn@beehaw.orgOPEnglish
          1·
          20 hours ago

          While I appreciate the sentiment, the same can be said about the U.S. right now. There’s enormous wealth disparity and human-rights violations worldwide, so that felt like throwing a stone from a glass house.

          • MountingSuspicion@reddthat.com
            1·
            20 hours ago

            For what it’s worth, I also tell people that moving to the US at this point is basically supporting fascism. I said the same about vacationing here too. There’s no ethical consumption under capitalism etc etc, but since we’re all participating we might as well do some harm reduction. To me, moving to Dubai signals that you legitimately do not care about how people are treated, not just that you’re unwilling to lift a finger to help, but that you’re actively antagonistic towards the working class. I understand if not everyone feels like that, but I don’t think it’s a race thing was my main point. Mostly a “why are you supporting an even worse state?” thing. For the record, everyone sucks and we should all do better.

        • Powderhorn@beehaw.orgOP
          42·
          22 hours ago

          And your take was “Dubai is unique in having people who don’t give a shit,” which is racist.

            • Powderhorn@beehaw.orgOPEnglish
              3·
              21 hours ago

              I’m not convinced you’ve read the spirit of the instance you’re posting on. That was unacceptable. I’m not clutching pearls, just trying to keep Beehaw a nice place for people to interact. If you don’t like that, easy enough to go elsewhere.

    • Powderhorn@beehaw.orgOPEnglish
      2·
      23 hours ago

      Reading between the lines, the article mentioning an agreement between the UK and UAE not requiring animals to be quarantined suggests other countries have no such agreement. Priorities change when fleeing bombings.

      • butwhyishischinabook@piefed.socialEnglish
        1·
        20 hours ago

        Not to be too harsh, but if you want to be able to quickly flee sudden catastrophes then don’t get a pet. If you’re willing to abandon a pet to save yourself then you shouldn’t own one. It’s completely dependent on you and if you’re not willing to put a dependent before yourself then you shouldn’t have one. It may be a natural urge for you to abandon your dependents when your life literally depends on it, but giving in to that urge makes you a fundamentally bad person.

        • Powderhorn@beehaw.orgOPEnglish
          11·
          19 hours ago

          I have loved several pets over the course of my life. I had to rehome my last cat because I was moving into my van. But I had several weeks’ notice and was able to do that in an orderly manner. “Quickly fleeing sudden catastrophes” is another beast entirely.

          I’m guessing there’s also been a run on crates for animals, so availability may be limited. And unless it’s a service animal, you need one of those for a flight. I abhor the fact that pets are being abandoned, but … consider the broader context. Assuming malice in the face of unexpected and sudden life changes shows, to me, the lack of empathy you’re lamenting about those who had to abandon pets.

          In the states, in peacetime, sure, this sounds horrific. But neither of those propositions is on the table. Kitties eating from automated dispensers in no way means their former owners aren’t distraught about the decision.