The death of a five-month-old puppy has sparked a nationwide campaign to reduce animal abuse in the UAE.
Animal Action – Abu Dhabi (AA-AD) launched the campaign under the name Enforce Law 16. It encourages people to report animal abuse to the UAE authorities, and for the government authorities to continue enforcing the law by prosecuting offenders.
Kleidi, a five-month-old male puppy, was left on the streets of Abu Dhabi to die after his owner cut off his tail. Kleidi was spotted by a passer-by who brought the defenceless animal to AA-AD. But days after seeing an emergency vet, the gaping wound became infected and Kleidi died of septicaemia.
AA-AD said that it’s likely Kleidi’s owner tried to dock the tail himself, a procedure in which the tail or ears or sometimes both are removed for hunting purposes. The vet who treated this poor puppy also said his back legs were underdeveloped, suggesting he was kept in a cage or a tightly confined area for his brief and painful life.
“Kleidi’s needless and tragic death has highlighted the need for more awareness and action around animal abuse in our community,” said Mel Stones, founder of AA-AD. “Animal cruelty is a global issue and the UAE has arguably the most progressive legislation in place of all the GCC countries. However the authorities are powerless to take action if the abuse is not being reported. Every one of us has a moral duty to stop animal abuse if we know it is happening.”
People interested in supporting the Enforce Law 16 campaign are invited to send an image of their pet with a cover message of support for Kleidi and other victims of animal abuse to [email protected], and to post messages of support for the campaign on their social media channels with the hashtag #enforcelaw16.
