02 May 2006
Dubai: Fear of animal cruelty in Dubai has led a resident to offer a large reward for anybody who hands in her African Grey parrot after it flew out of a window.The parrot's owner is calling for pet shops to look after the intelligent birds better in case hers ends up in one of them. Lesley Muncey lost her parrot, Mango, last week.
"All pet shops have African Greys but the birds are in small cages with no toys and left to eat sunflower seeds. They are so bored most of the time that they pluck their own feathers," she said.
A source from the Ministry of Environment of Water said that all birds have to be tagged and a permit for them should be acquired from the ministry before they can be put on sale in pet shops.
He added if anybody did find a lost pet they should take it to the municipality. He said cases of animal cruelty in pet shops were rare as inspectors often visited markets and pet shops.
"People have no idea how to look after these birds. I've been checking with pet shops in case my bird is handed in to one of them. I doubt I"ll see her again," said Muncey, who said she was willing to pay up to Dh3,000 for the retrieval of her parrot. Dr Reza Khan, head of Dubai Zoo, said African Grey parrots should be given as much space as possible and be fed fresh fruit and vegetables as well as seeds. If anyone has any information please contact Muncey on 050 258 3513.
By Emmanuelle Landais
Gulf News 2006. All rights reserved.
