Owning a big cat is one thing, but caring for it is another

Big cats should not be pets, a reader says. Other topics: car washers, daughters, domestic abuse and liquor ban.

Readers voice their views about keeping cheetahs and other big cats in the UA. Photo: Silvia Razgova / The National

In reference to your news story, Big cats 'a threat to young children', says Al Ain vet (August 28), the UAE is a signatory to Cites, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which has procedures in place to protect rare species.

This means rare animals may be traded only with appropriate paper­work. My contention about the UAE having stricter laws is that appropriate paperwork does not affect one’s ability to properly house and care for wild animals.

What often happens when these big cats are kept as pets is they are de-clawed and have their canines removed. This means they no longer pose a threat to their human keepers, but also means they are unable to eat their natural diet.

This brings about degenerative diseases which are irreversible. Why would anyone with common sense and reason want to keep as a pet a big cat or any other wild animal that does not belong in confined spaces?

I guess the good news from all this is that an education process seems to be underway, but it feels like there is still a lot of progress that needs to be made.

Gilda De Monte, Abu Dhabi

Keeping these kinds of big cats as pets seems to me to be all about the prestige of ownership and with little or no regard paid to the true wellbeing of these creatures.

I am disturbed by the thought that veterinarians agree to conduct surgery to de-claw these animals and remove their teeth to render them safe as pets.

Dalya Eason, Abu Dhabi

Car washers are part of UAE life

Your article, Crackdown on street car washers in Abu Dhabi catches 37 offenders in just two hours (August 28) reflects the way in which real life is being taken away from the streets.

Instead we only see glitter, and malls, perfect highways and high buildings everywhere – and it means more people will lose their connection with their neighbourhoods and become isolated.

The charm of cities such as Amsterdam is the life one encounters in the streets: the bicycles, the cafes, the people who play guitars in the parks, who talk with each other, paint, have poetry sessions right there in front of you and who live together with great respect and acceptance of each other.

We in the UAE also need street life but it needs to be real life, not just the glamour and glitter.

People need music and to encounter other people. They need to be able to be outside, to cycle, to walk their dogs, to sit on the grass with their guitars, and above all, mix with each other. That includes people washing their cars.

Brigitte Von Bulow, Abu Dhabi

See daughters as gems, not burdens

I agree with Shelina Zahra Janmohamed (Siblings ought to share care of elderly, August 23) that daughters and sons should contribute equally in caring for members of their families.

In India, when women marry, they are often considered to belong to the family of their husband. Unfortunately, many of them are then treated by the new family as outsiders.

Women often have different skills than men so their contributions should not be overlooked. Society’s attitudes ought to change and see the four daughters in the article as gems and not burdens.

Name withheld by request

Victims are finding a voice on abuse

I am glad to see the increased reporting of domestic abuse (Giving a voice to victims of abuse in the UAE, August 28) because it means victims are now speaking up.

Teri Coley Adams, Abu Dhabi

The reports of domestic abuse are probably rising because more women feel safer about speaking out, and have some support.

Caroline Wareham, Dubai

Kerala liquor ban was not debated

With regard to your recent news report Kerala announces alcohol ban (August 23), this new policy has prompted a lot of discussion and conjecture but seems not to have been the result of serious thought.

Instead, it appears to be driven by a personality clash between the state’s president and some of the United Democratic Front (UDF) members. What is surprising is that this issue had never tabled for discussion among the coalition party members of the UDF.

Even though I believe most peo-ple will welcome this initiative, there should first have been discussion among party members and prominent members of the community.

Without a common consensus on this issue, implementing this policy will have adverse effects in the long run and may destabilise the state administration.

Although the state had previously witnessed a series of tragedies caused by the consumption of alcohol, ideas about how to prevent illicit sources of liquor seems not to have been addressed in any discussions about this new policy.

Ramachandran Nair, Oman