An illustration of the main building at Dubai Safari park at Al Marqa, where the technical director has stressed shows will be ethical and educational and its animals will be allowed to roam as freely as the park permits. Wam
An illustration of the main building at Dubai Safari park at Al Marqa, where the technical director has stressed shows will be ethical and educational and its animals will be allowed to roam as freelyShow more

‘I promise, our safari park will be no circus’



DUBAI // The head of a Dh1 billion safari park has promised that none of its animals will be used to perform circus-style tricks or carry visitors “while I have any say”.

Timothy Husband, technical director of Dubai Safari, which is being built in Al Warqa, said that while the attraction will feature ethical educational shows with birds or small mammals, larger creatures such as elephants will be allowed to roam.

“They will not be doing tricks or juggling, they will be behaving naturally,” he said, adding that all of the park’s animals will be donated from other zoos or rescued and in need of being

rehomed.

“The animals are [ones] that cannot be returned to the wild for one reason or another.”

Mr Husband said Dubai Safari was looking to acquire ex-working elephants, either from logging camps or tourist parks. He said that their days of being put to work will be behind them.

“[Riding an elephant] will not happen while I have any say in the safari. The whole idea is to save these animals from any more hardship and allow them to live out their lives in a safe environment where they no longer need to be treated as beasts of burden.”

Mr Husband’s assurances have been welcomed by animal welfare groups, who had expressed concerns that the animals at the attraction would be used to perform for tourists.

“The tide of public opinion has turned against animals being used in this way and there are good reasons why,” said Debbie Lawson, a volunteer who works with animal welfare groups across the UAE.

Mr Husband, who has worked in Asia, he has seen first-hand how animals are mistreated and often overworked.

“Seeing this brought it home to me how cruel and degrading this is. The fact is riding elephants can cause serious long-term harm to their spines as they are not made to support the weight.”

Although it has not been confirmed when Dubai Safari will officially open, Mr Husband said he hoped it would be ready for visitors by the end of this year or early in 2017.

“Before even a soft opening is done, we first must be sure that all exhibits and guest areas are safe and up to a standard,” he said.

Ms Lawson said investigations have found that cruelty was inherent in the regimes animals were put through in preparation for shows, with training consisting of physical abuse, threats and negative reinforcement.

“The animal is simply motivated by fear of punishment, their spirit broken,” she said.

A recent report by the World Animal Protection organisation, elephant rides and tiger “selfies” were among the 10 cruellest attractions.

Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja was recently fined 20,000 rupees by an Indian court after posting for photos in front of endangered Asiatic lions in a national park.

Dr ElSayed Mohammed, director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare Middle East, said animals should never be used for entertainment.

“We oppose taking an animal from the wild and putting it in a cage. The whole point is conservation, treating and rehabilitating animals to put them back in their natural habitat.

“However, in cases where they cannot be rehabilitated and survive on their own in the wild, then they must be provided with their natural habitat and used for education purposes only.”

dmoukhallati@thenational.ae

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Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

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Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

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Started: 2021
 
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In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458. 

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Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash

Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.

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Greed

Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.

Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.

Fear

The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.

Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.

Hope

While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.

Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.

Frustration

Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.

Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.

Boredom

Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.

Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.

Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk

“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”

“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”

“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”

“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”

Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
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W. W. Norton & Company

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