Big cats continue to be sold in UAE via social media despite federal law

Cheetah cubs continue to be sold on the UAE black market via social media accounts operated by five key dealers, helping fuel a thriving trade in illegal exotic pets. Although the number of illegal cats seized at UAE borders is decreasing, experts working on the boundaries of the underground trade claim little has changed since a federal law regulating the possession, sale and breeding of dangerous animals came into force in January. Cheetahs are regularly spotted for sale via popular online forums, with Instagram and Facebook key points of sale for illegal breeders. Conservationists have been monitoring the activity of animals for sale in the UAE and wider Gulf region, and say trade continues to thrive. “In the UAE, we have recorded about 50 social media accounts trading animals, but five seem to be major dealers in the UAE,” said Patricia Tricorache, of the International Cheetah Conservation Fund. “Our data includes an average of 250 cheetahs per year offered for sale on the internet. “Many Instagram accounts show people owning or selling exotic pets like chimps, gibbons, orangutans and even bears and leopards, an astounding amount of animals.” A Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) document reported 31 cheetahs of unknown origin confiscated in the UAE between 2010 and 2014, while Saudi Arabia reported eight confiscated cheetahs during the same period. Although the biodiversity department of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment did not have the numbers of confiscated animals for 2016 and 2017, it did say numbers had decreased. In 2013, 78 illegal animals destined for the UAE were seized, with 64 confiscated in 2014 and just 27 taken at the border in 2015. Ms Tricorache said the illegal nature of prohibited wildlife trade makes it difficult to collect data. CCF figures are estimates based on data collected via every possible source, such as official or direct reports, as well as online advertising of animals for sale in the UAE and other Gulf states. “The information I have is related to confiscations, as well as owners and dealers of exotic pets, including several in the UAE,” she said. “We have compiled this information to try to come up with an estimate of illegally traded cheetahs but since this is not something most people openly talk about, the actual numbers could be much higher. “We estimate about 300 cheetahs are smuggled out of northern Somalia every year. “We have spoken to villagers involved in the trade in our investigations and they have told us at the height of the market they were smuggling about 100 a month, most destined for the Middle East. “It is a conservative estimate about what is happening, and alarming considering the wild cheetah population in that region is already facing very low numbers.” In 2014, Sharjah issued a ban on owning dangerous predators in residential areas, allowing only public and private zoos, scientific research centres and universities to keep them, and only after obtaining the required licence. Penalties range from Dh10,000 to Dh700,000.