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Animals & Wildlife Kuwait

Help save the animals in Kuwait

YOU CAN HELP US SAVE ANIMALS IN KUWAIT
DIWANIYA AT AWARE CENTER
Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.
by Kuwaiti animal-rescuer Nadia Al Kandari and local photojournalist Claudia Farkas Al Rashoud

With the inhumane ongoing official policy of poisoning stray dogs and cats, the status of animal rights in Kuwait has reached a new low. Added to that, the widespread practice of dog fighting, illegal importation and breeding of wild animals that are unsuitable or dangerous as pets, dismal conditions in the animal section of the Friday Market, and other unpunished acts of animal cruelty all tarnish Kuwait’s reputation in the international community. However, there are caring and active Kuwaitis, along with compassionate expats, who are striving to make things better for these innocent creatures.

Are there alternative, more human methods of stray animal population control? Of course there are! Are there laws to protect animals in Kuwait? Yes, they do exist but need to be enforced. Is there anything you can do to help prevent cruelty to animals? Yes, definitely! Please attend our diwaniya on animal rights in Kuwait, add your voice to the discussion, and become part of the solution. The AWARE Center is in Surra, Block 3, St. 50, Villa 84

For more information, call 25335260, ext 0/104/105 or log onto www.aware.com.kw or email [email protected]

39 replies on “Help save the animals in Kuwait”

what cruelty? put them down is the best way to make them not suffer anymore, plus in summer the degree is over 50, which is no condition a fur animal could survive, and no water.

unless u gonna catch them all, putting them down is the best choice.

The only unhumane I see, is not burry them under earth, leaving the corpse rotten above dirt.

It is God’s creatures, and it deserve to be burried :/

Neoark25’s comments actually bring up a good point. There is a pretty solid division in Kuwait between people who see no problem in the horrible suffering poisoning causes as long as dogs are removed and those who are, at the very least, concerned that it might be needlessly cruel. My two areas of work in Kuwait are wildlife, and stray animal management. I’ve mostly been focusing on the latter for the past four years, so I can speak with some measure of authority on the issue.

There are a lot of reasons why poisoning seems wrong to the animal lovers and advocates among us. However, those that simply want the dogs, and possibly cats, removed also have a point of view which must be recognized. For them, I would point out a few facts:
1. The effectiveness of poisoning on stray, feral, and wild dogs varies from 0-100% based upon a wide variety of circumstances. On average, poisoning is 30% effective. A successful operation targeting a group of semi-friendly dogs fed by a variety of people might reach 80%. 100% is rare and usually reserved for pet dogs such as a group of unrestrained dogs kept by workers who live on-site. Poisoning does not work. If it did, we wouldn’t have a problem with stray dogs more than a decade into the government poisoning campaign.
2. The effectiveness of humane methods is invariably greater than 90% and if applied by experts is between 98 and 100%. K’S PATH has proven this to be true even on a large scale in Kuwait.
3. Poisoning has been shown to kill rare wildlife in Kuwait as well as pet animals, is dangerous to water tables, and could kill a child.
4. Humane capture methods are non-lethal if applied correctly and serve to effectively remove invasive dogs and cats from wildlife areas without negative side-effects for our rare wildlife.
5. Inhumane methods, including poisoning, reflect poorly upon Kuwait when you consider there are affordable alternatives within reach. In fact, other gulf countries including Bahrain, Qatar, and UAE have successfully adopted “humane” (ie effective) programs.

Simply put, humane methods are the best choice for all stake-holders. The result is the effective removal of dogs without suffering. This is a goal we can all work toward together.

Then set a group of people to do it, as in event, and give them certificates of them being animal lovers and have taken the event.

I’m not saying you can change the whole thing over night, I’m saying since it bothers you, why not at least save couples from suffering, by ending them your way that find it fit.

We all know that stray city animals has very high risk chances of carrying dangerous diseases they are not living in wild.

Are you really that uneducated and inhumane? a “fur animal” can survive in different climates – Allah made them that way. Their fur insulates them, meaning it keeps them warm in the winter and cool in the summer. And water is everywhere. The reason why they are being killed is not because they don’t think they can live, it’s because they don’t WANT them to live.

Go give one food and adopt one, if you are just going to talk about it, not just doing an actual change, or force someone else to do something you believe in, not them.

It’s not too late to adopt one off street.

I have a friend who lost his dog when it got a hold of some of this stuff. I am teaming up with these groups and individual activists and good people trying to help animals. We are going to make a doc on about it in hopes or raising awareness.

I wouldn’t call it widespread as if everyone is doing it, but the practice has grown in the last few years. Many of the dogs sold at the Friday Market show signs of fighting, and there are a number of pit bull breeding farms in Kebd, Abdaliya, Abdully, and elsewhere. They keep the dogs chained up just out of reach of each other to make them as aggressive as possible. At K’S PATH, we routinely receive retired fighting dogs that have been transitioned to bait dogs (they remove their canine teeth so active fighters can practice without damage). The face on a bait dog is mostly scar tissue from having fought so much. They are dumped in the desert when they outlive their usefulness. The same is true of female pit bulls when they pass breeding age. You’ll never see a more pathetic dog.

The actual fighting is not limited to the outskirts of the city. It actually occurs frequently in neighborhoods. We receive regular reports of fights. My brother-in-law broke up a fight in front of his mosque after prayers.

There are several Kuwaiti’s working very hard to change the image of pit bulls through education and thoroughbred breeding of non-fighting dogs. PAAFR has placed a ban on importing fighting dogs. However, action is needed by police forces to investigate and seek prosecution for fighting. Dog fighting and gambling are illegal and thus only need investigation.

So the use of “widespread practice” is not altogether incorrect, but it does suggest something that is pervasive, whereas dog fighting is common but does not occur on every street corner.

Thanks for the insight. Interesting to know since I’ve never seen a dog fight here and didn’t know it about it much.

They are ALSO important.But priority matters and the priority MUST go for human beings first.Everybody would agree with me on the fact that there are more humans in kuwait undergo much worse pain,inhumane treatment and live in pathetic conditions than these dogs do…why no diwaniya for human rights…aah convenience…..

You are acting like non-humans have a department set up for them so they can go and make a complaint if they want! We are the voice of the dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, snakes, and whatever else that needs to be represented at the diwaniya being put together. I am all for the locals voicing their opinions about them being oppressed, or maids running away from their sponsor because they are being beaten, mistreated, unpaided, or other things like that! We are the voice for all living things and people are concerned for other actions against helpless animals or the onse being use to harm others!

What’s convenient about fighting for a cause thats a tough fight in an environment where the neanderthal mentality is what it seems like a majority?

fight the cause of humans if you’re that concerned about them. they’re humans with the same advantages that you have- the human mind and spirit. or do you just want to sit back and relax as you prod others who believe in their cause to drop their efforts there and divert it to what you lip service should be done?

are you really saying that!?

well you have been eating meat since the day you were born. live a day without a burger and then would you ask this question!?

animals have equal right to live on earth as you.

i turned vegan after watching videos of how cruelly animals are killed to eat.

The solution has to come from the government. The government is busy trying to find a solution for humans (the bedoon) so animals are the least of their worries.

nope, many different orgs approached the gov with the solutions. The ONLY request was funding. But I think money comes first, after all it has to go elsewhere better than using it for a good cause – humanely capturing animals spaying/neutering them, or just simply putting them down without pain.

Are there certain breeds banned here in Kuwait to prevent some of the illegal dog fighting? We were at the animal hospital next to the Royal Vet Hospital this last weekend for my dogs annual booster and there was a guy in there with a pitbull. Sadly my dog was the one going nuts, because he doesn’t get along with other animals, and the pitbull was just looking at him. Probably thinking, “What is wrong with this crazy dog”? hahahahaha

There is a list of breeds at the PAAF which aren’t allowed to be brought into Kuwait. I had to fight to bring my French Bulldog in from the States because he’s a “bulldog” and they thought I’d be using/breeding/selling him for fighting. They signed his paperwork when they googled the breed and saw that Frenchies are harmless.

But you know how it goes with wasta here. There will always be a way.

The problem isn’t the breed itself, but rather what they’re using the breed for. I can train a Chihuahua to be the most aggressive dog ever; it’s all a matter of how WE treat them and raise them. Pitbulls are such loving and friendly dogs. It’s a shame to see what these people do to them.

K’S PATH is the only one fit to handle this issue, definitely not the government. One thing is for sure I am tired of picking up dead stray cats from the street. And taking half dead kittens into my house to save them from a certain death on the street.

We all work for both humans and animal’s side by side. Teaching humans in Kuwait to become more human towards living creatures!!!!!
FC you need a bullet.

Though I sympathize with- and have respect for your comment, your last sentence didn’t make any sense. At least, I hope so.

“We all work for both humans and animal’s side by side. Teaching humans in Kuwait to become more human towards living creatures!!!!!
FC you need a bullet.”

Next to be in contradiction of your human approach, by wishing someone ‘a bullet’, you’ve violated the rules of a discussion. Never threat with violence.

Shelters are full, strays are not picked up like that. They have to be injured, under a serious risk of torture or death, or simply not capable of surviving in the streets on their own since they are strays and don’t know how to find food shelter and protect themselves.. if the stray is doing fine they are just left there.

Yes its true – the cause of animal abuse has seen SO much support among people in Kuwait on facebook, on blogs etc etc – money has been raised and ppl are actually volunteering to do things and meet up.

As to human rights abuses – which Kuwait is completely rife with? Lets just put it this way – A dog or cat in Kuwait has a higher value placed on its life than a maid or a street cleaner. And its not the barbarians who perpetrate this abuse that are responsible for this – its the sophisticated, educated individuals who should know better. FACT!

untrue. while i am making a big fuss here about strays poisoning and animal abuse, you have absolutely no idea what I am doing elsewhere for the tortured maids and street cleaners. But yes I have to agree with you to some extend that ‘fluffy cute’ things are ‘too beautiful’ to be hurt so some people tend to care for these soft furballs and cannot care much about ‘ugly’ maids and ‘dirty’ street cleaners. sad. but please let’s not deviate, just because humans are abused it doesn’t mean we have to let the animal abuse continue too. am I wrong?

Why are people so much greater than animals. Surely we are the ones who decided to domesticate animals for our companionship and to keep them out of harms way. Now we can just turn our backs on these beautiful creatures because it doesnt suit us? we have let them back into the wild by not constraining their reproduction. Whomever can do this to a dog, a sensitive caring being from its core is a sick heartless beast. A slow death from a sneaky trick. Yes they will see what happens on judgement day.

Urgent help required: the survivors of the free trade zone in the picture below are at great risk of being poisoned again! We’ve been informed that the Municipality has received a complaint from a near-by company about the remaining dogs so they’re likely to get poisoned very soon, they’re 2 adult males and a mother who has recently given birth to smaller puppies, we’ve contacted paws with no to little luck as they’re full. Marlene has been in touch with them, conclusions were either build a cage at the farm which requires money or put them down in a humane way rather than suffer from the poison. noteworthy to mention vets can keep them for a cost.

If you can help in ANY way please reply to this post, even if it means fostering them for a few days, until the threat is eliminated & a more efficient solution is figured.

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