Cute but illegal: the bush baby imports

They may be openly on sale, but many exotic pets have been illegally taken from their homelands to be brought into the country.

The bush babies in the Al Ain pet store were clearly in poor health.

ABU DHABI // With their huge, appealing eyes, clean habits and friendly nature, Zanzibar bushbabies are said to make excellent exotic pets. There is just one problem: it is illegal to bring them into the country without a permit.

Yet five of the primitive primates were discovered in an Al Ain pet shop in May this year. Kept in tiny cages, they did not have adequate food or water, and were clearly in poor health. The rescued bushbabies were taken to Al Ain Wildlife Park, where they joined a host of other illegal imports. Other recent arrivals include a rare gibbon confiscated at the Saudi border, and a pair of cheetahs that were handed over by a private collector.

Now the Ministry of Environment and Water is trying to stop cases like these before they reach the shops and homes of the UAE, with a campaign targeting owners that do not have the right paperwork for their pets and plants. "Many people do not know the regulations," said Amran al Shehi, a ministry official. "[They] violate the law without realising they are doing anything wrong." To be brought into the UAE, a pet must be identified by a microchip or tattoo, as well as a vaccination card, a health certificate issued in the exporting country and a ministry permit. Without these, it will make a swift return the country of origin, at the owner's expense.

Plants, meanwhile, need an import permit and a disease certificate from the country of origin, among other requirements. Although all species need the correct permits, the regulations for those that are rare or endangered are much stricter, since they are covered by Cites, an international treaty that regulates the trade in more than 33,000 types of plants and animals. Abdulrab al Hemeri, a Cites official in Abu Dhabi, said most cases of rare species being brought into the country were examples of deliberate smuggling, rather than ill-informed pet owners. "It is about 60 to 40," he said.

There are two heavily restricted Cites categories. Animals on Appendix I, which includes the cheetah, peregrine and gyr falcon, are regarded as endangered, and their trade is forbidden except for research. Appendix II, meanwhile, includes less rare but still protected species, such as the bushbaby and the gibbon, in which international trade is allowed under strict controls. The penalties for importing a species on either list without the right documentation are up to six months in prison and fines of up to Dh50,000 (US$14,000).

Even though they are often sold openly, Mr al Hemeri cautioned against buying such exotic species, as he said buyers might be inadvertently supporting criminal activities The ministry's campaign began at Abu Dhabi International Airport yesterday and will move to other airports and ports in the country. It will see people being handed leaflets and shown short films about procedures on the movement of animals and plants across borders.

Mr al Hemeri said increased efforts to prevent the illegal trade had already seen results. "Since 2002 we can see a big difference in the number of people bringing in stuff in the country," he said. "It has really gone down, although some species still find their way in." [e-mail]