The increase has been significant and alarming - PHRA Chair Saad Kassis-Mohamed on abandoned pets in Dubai

– How sharply has the number of abandoned pets increased following the escalation of conflict in the Middle East?

– The increase has been significant and, frankly, alarming. While precise citywide figures are difficult to compile given how fragmented the rescue network is, what we are hearing consistently from shelters and volunteer groups across Dubai is that intake requests and emergency callouts have surged in some cases organizations are reporting double or triple the volume they were managing before the escalation. What concerns me most is that these are only the cases being reported. Many animals are never found in time.

– What most often drives people to leave their pets behind?

– It is rarely one thing, and I think it is important we resist the urge to judge without understanding the full picture. Panic is real. So is the sheer cost and bureaucratic complexity of relocating an animal internationally health certificates, vaccinations, airline approvals, quarantine requirements. For someone leaving in a hurry, often with limited funds and no clear guidance, the process can feel insurmountable. What we also see is a fundamental lack of information. People do not know that options exist that there are surrender pathways, foster networks, charities who can help. When people don't know what to do, they sometimes do nothing. And the animal pays the price.

– How do volunteers learn about these cases, and how do they rescue animals from locked apartments?

– Social media has become the primary alert system and that tells you everything about how informal and under resourced this network is. Neighbors post videos. Building staff send messages. Someone hears an animal crying and puts it on Instagram. Volunteers then scramble to make contact, navigate building management, and in some cases work with authorities to gain access. It is extraordinary what these individuals achieve, but it is not a system. It is people plugging gaps that institutions should have closed.

– Is leaving an animal locked in an apartment a violation of UAE law?

– The UAE does have animal welfare provisions, and abandonment can constitute a legal offence. However, enforcement in these specific circumstances where an owner has left the country is extremely difficult. There is no clear protocol for what happens when an animal is found in a vacated property, no automatic escalation to animal welfare authorities, and in practice, consequences for departing owners are close to nonexistent. The law exists. The last mile enforcement does not.

– What urgent measures could help right now?

– Three things would make an immediate difference. First, a centrally coordinated emergency surrender registry so that owners who know they cannot take their animals have a verified, trusted place to hand them over safely rather than simply walking away. Second, fast track documentation support for pet relocation, because the paperwork burden is driving some of these decisions. Third, temporary fostering infrastructure with real capacity behind it, not just volunteer goodwill stretched to its limits. None of these require years of policy work. They require will and coordination.

– Is international support needed?

– Absolutely, and across all three areas you mention. Financially, local rescue organizations are absorbing costs they were never built to carry. On the volunteer side, skilled fostering networks from outside the UAE could make a meaningful difference if the right coordination structures existed. And logistically, international rescue organizations with experience in crisis animal welfare have knowledge that simply isn't available locally right now. This is not a problem Dubai can solve in isolation and given the international nature of its population, it should not have to.

– How can people in Dubai or abroad help?

– For those in Dubai: if you know of an animal in distress, report it immediately to building management, to local rescue groups, and on social media if necessary. If you have capacity to foster, now is the time to come forward. For those outside the UAE: financial donations to verified Dubai based rescue organizations are urgently needed. Sharing information matters too the more visible this crisis becomes internationally, the more pressure there is for a coordinated response. And if you have professional skills in animal welfare, logistics, or policy, reach out. This network needs expertise as much as it needs funds.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that animal shelters in the United Arab Emirates have recorded a surge in abandoned pets as rising regional tensions in the Middle East prompt some foreign residents to leave the country.