Animal welfare center in Abu Dhabi

The Managing Director of the Waste Management Center in Abu Dhabi, Majid Al Mansouri, stated that the Executive Council of the Abu Dhabi Government approved the establishment of an animal welfare center, which is the first of its kind in the emirate to care for stray cats and stray dogs, in cooperation between the Waste Management Center and Falcon Hospital in Abu Dhabi.

He pointed out that this center came as an affirmation of the state’s humanitarian sense and its keenness to care for various aspects of environmental life, its components and living organisms, especially small animals such as stray cats and dogs, which are consistent with its humanitarian plan to care for and protect animal species at risk, and provide appropriate living conditions for them.

Al Mansouri added that the center aims to collect these animals, provide them with health care, protect and vaccinate them, and make room for those wishing to acquire them from families after providing them with all health conditions. With the approval of the Executive Council, the Animal Welfare Center will bear the task of castrating stray cats and dogs instead of private veterinary clinics, and Falcon Hospital in Abu Dhabi will employ its distinguished veterinary expertise and specialization in birds and animals to manage this center.

He stated that the Executive Council approved the project to establish the Animal Welfare Center after extensive studies that dealt with international projects on programs to control stray cats and dogs in major global cities, such as the United States, Canada, and Europe. The project includes the operations of setting traps, controlling animals, castration, and adoption, with a methodology followed to improve the conditions of cats and dogs. Bulk according to international standards.

For her part, Director of Falcon Hospital in Abu Dhabi, Dr. Margit Gabriele Muller, confirmed that the endless support shown by the Executive Council of the Abu Dhabi Government for this project plays a major role in educating the general public and helping them realize the importance of establishing the Animal Welfare Center to care for animals living in poor conditions.

It is noteworthy that the center is designed according to international standards, and includes a 40-day quarantine and treatment rooms. All stray cats and stray dogs will undergo a castration procedure, with the aim of controlling their reproduction. The animals will also undergo a comprehensive examination for diseases, vaccination, and the introduction of a microchip in order to be saved in the database.

The database also helps individuals who have lost their cats or dogs find them again. Before adoption, sick animals are treated until complete recovery to ensure the exclusive presence of disease-free cats and dogs, and healthy animals are offered for acquisition. The Center works to encourage this matter by those who wish, as is common in European countries, the United States, and Canada. A specialized website will be launched by Falcon Hospital in Abu Dhabi displays pictures of animals ready for acquisition, and general information about caring for cats and dogs to help provide them with suitable living conditions.

The number of stray cats in Abu Dhabi is estimated at about 7,000, according to the 2007 census. Their number is expected to double within a year, which poses a threat to public health, as the animals’ living and feeding places, which consist mainly of garbage, make their living conditions difficult, and they suffer. Most are parasites and infected wounds resulting from fights, street dangers, and violence.