AL AIN // Screams rang out yesterday as daredevil reptile expert Brady Barr showed more than 100 schoolchildren some of the scariest bits from his Dangerous EncountersTV show.
American Dr Barr, 49, is known for catching crocodiles, giant snakes and other potentially lethal animals. Some of the youngsters, who were aged between 8 and 10, watched open-mouthed as he showed a clip in which he dressed up in a crocodile suit and attached a data-collecting device to a real croc.
There were plenty of "oohs" as he presented a series of slides of massive and deadly anacondas and pythons. But the biggest reaction came when, in another video, a boa constrictor turned round and bit Dr Barr on the face, though on this occasion there were a few unkind laughs among the screams. Afterwards some of the children, who were from six schools in Al Ain, admitted that this had been their favourite moment.
The noise reached another crescendo when, at the end of the show at Al Ain Zoo, Dr Barr disappeared from view and then returned with the same type of snake coiled around his arm.
"Snakes play an important role in the local environment," he told the children. "If you ever see a snake be thankful that you're seeing it and then just back away. Don't harm it, don't ever try to pick up a snake."
Shad Yousf, 10, from Emirates Private School, said: "I was scared of the snake, I wouldn't like to have it wrapped around me."
Abrar Hafiz, also 10 and from the same school, was less easily frightened. She said: "I loved the animals so much I'm going to ask my dad to buy for me all the animals."
Dr Barr's trip to the UAE coincided with the screening of the sixth series of Dangerous Encounters on the National Geographic Abu Dhabi channel, part of Abu Dhabi Media which also owns The National.
In one of the episodes he catches a hippopotamus, the animal that he regards as the most dangerous of all. In another he traps a man-eating Nile crocodile that had killed 23 people in Uganda and relocates it to a wildlife reserve.
He said he planned to return to the UAE with a camera crew to shoot scenes for a future series.
"At some point I will be back here and we will be filming something," he added. "I'd love to get out into the desert and interact with some of the snakes there.
"This is such a unique desert ecosystem and you get some fantastic snakes. It's an ecosystem I haven't spent a lot of time in so I'd be really keen to get out there and spend some time and see some of these snakes."
The show is famous for its dramatic scenes where crocodile specialist Dr Barr gets up close with some of the world's most dangerous animals - and he bears the scars of some of these meetings to this day. A clip of him being bitten by a 12-foot python in a cave in Indonesia has attracted nearly 1.3 million hits on YouTube.
Dr Barr and his wife Mei Len have two children, Isabella, 8, and Braxton, 4, and the family lives surrounded by pets in Washington DC. Though he appears fearless on screen, this is far from the case.
"I'm scared on a daily basis, I think it's a good thing. I often tell people, including my wife, that the day I stop being afraid is the day I've got to get out of this business, because I'm going to die. Being scared keeps you focused and keeps you from getting complacent.
"I know what these animals are capable of, I've had friends and colleagues killed by these animals that I love, and I don't want that to be me."
Dangerous Encounters can be seen at 8.50pm every Tuesday on National Geographic Abu Dhabi.
csimpson@thenational.ae
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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