WHO WANTS TO BE AN

ANIMALLIONAIRE?

WHAT IS THIS

• A gameshow designed to spread awareness about animal treatment legislations and encourage appropriate & effective implementation of them

• Through our research, we have found that legislations do exist, but aren’t instigated and enforced well enough by the people of the UAE

• We want to take this class as an example for the citizens of the UAE

• We sincerely hope that by the end of this session, you are better able to understand and put into action laws about animal welfare

• You are a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Masdar Institute of Science & Technology; and you are extremely excited about starting your exciting research on the micro-biology of the Arabian Mountain Gazelle. You really need a sample of it’s blood; and you happen to stumble upon one during your casual and coincidental trip to the deserts of Al Ain. What do you do?

GOOD CHOICE!

• You are the proud owner of a porcupine and two kittens. One unfortunate day, your porcupine has maimed the kitten with its spikes in your backyard. Your kitten is making ghastly noises, writhing in pain…there is blood everywhere. You want to operate on your beloved kitten and remove the spike, but when you attempt to do so, the kitten mewls in agony. Good thing you have that anesthesia lying around! You inject the kitten with the anesthesia, and operate on him (remove the spike). Were your actions violating any legislations? If so, which one?

GOAT CHOICE!

• You are taking your morning walk in the energy efficient campus of the Masdar Institute; when suddenly, you hear a soft cry of pain…upon locating its source; you discover that it belongs to a seemingly stray little wolf cub. The cub is shivering in the cold and the ribs poking out of its fur hint at the food deprivation. You realize you have found a stray. What should you do?

WOW!

• You are a unpleasant Brazilian-Emirati ornithologist on an expedition to the Amazon; you’ve managed to capture some rare Scarlet Macaws (ignore the Brazilian laws against this); and plan on showcasing them with the great Falcons of the UAE in your famous bird show. Is this bird show violating the legal framework on the UAE?

• An eerie couple you know live at the end of the street; they have five dogs. During an accidental visit, you observe that their house is heavily polluted with fumes (don’t ask) and the roof is dripping with acid that they play with. Surely, this isn’t a safe environment for dogs; you don’t care much for the odd couple, but you are concerned for the dogs’ health. Besides, this is against the law isn’t it? If so, which one?

Good choice, but that’s none of my business…

• You are the successful owner of a well-known chain of horse trading stables in the UAE. One day, a cloaked figure comes to your stable with a very handsome horse, and offers to sell it at an incredibly cheap price. You are intrigued; this is extremely unusual! The cloaked figure whispers to you that the horse has a urinal tract infection. You simply cannot turn down this handsome horse, so you buy it. Did you do the legally correct thing? If not, what should’ve you done?

OOH OHH YOU PICKED ME!

• Your mom forced you to get a puppy; but you hate puppies. So, after some dreary months, you abandon the puppy. Apparently, the puppy injured itself with some glass, and was found and taken to the vet by some people. Somehow, they have managed to tracked you down as the owner of this puppy…and are now OBLIGING you to pay all the expenses of the vet. As if! But are they legally right in doing so?

• You are a vet, and you are presented with a pet squirrel with viral intestinal infections. You must detain and separate this squirrel from other humans and animals, as this virus is highly contagious. However, the owners are extremely attached to their squirrel and refuse to be separated. Is it their right to make this demand, or is there a law you could use to your advantage?

• Your weak grandfather just adopted an energetic puppy, and built a feeble and extremely small cage for it. A cage that hardly leaves any space for it to move. Is that your grandfather’s problem to deal with, or does a law regarding this exist?

• You are a law enforcer at the UAE Ministry of Animal Welfare; and to your utmost delight, your arch-enemy has been charged guilty of releasing infested birds. You really want the worst for him, so what is the worst you can do to him?

• In a completely hypothetical situation, there is a heavy blizzard in the UAE. You see your neighbor kicking their tiger out of the house, with no shelter. You feel sorry for the tiger, and decide to call the cops; but which law will you accuse them of breaking?