ABU DHABI // Wildlife experts have warned pet owners against taking their animals to wildlife sanctuaries after a labrador died from wounds inflicted by a wild Arabian oryx.
Dubai resident Karen Lee’s golden labrador Bertie was gouged by the oryx at Al Qudra lake near Bab Al Shams in Dubai on Friday.
“Bertie is full of energy, very playful and is of the inquisitive sort, so when the oryx approached him he went towards it,” Ms Lee said. The oryx charged at the 14-month-old dog and stabbed him through the side with one of its horns.
“I usually go to the lakes alone with Bertie but thankfully my husband was with us this time, and he lifted him into car up while I tried to scare the oryx away,” Ms Lee said.
The couple took their pet to the nearest vet, but Bertie collapsed on the floor and had to have emergency surgery.
Forty minutes later Ms Lee was told the operation had been unsuccessful as the horn had probably pierced the dog’s heart.
“I’m at a loss without my dog. I woke up on Saturday morning and I genuinely didn’t know what to do with my time.”
Reza Khan, a wildlife specialist for Dubai Municipality, said people should know the risks of taking their dogs to the lakes.
“Why should a dog be going around a wildlife sanctuary? When the native animals get scared they could do anything,” said Dr Khan, who does field surveys at the lakes every week.
Most of the wild animals there, including the oryx, were reintroduced so they were unaccustomed to threatening animals.
“The problems with these animals is they’ve never seen a natural predator as they have come from captivity,” Dr Khan said. “They wouldn’t be able to differentiate between a lion, a tiger or a dog.”
The Arabian oryx became extinct in the wild in 1972 and was saved from extinction only through a captive breeding programme established by Sheikh Zayed, the founding President.
Dr Khan said the oryx’s strong territorial instinct led it to be aggressive at times.
He said if the dog came close enough for the oryx to feel threatened, then he was not surprised it charged.
With more than 2,000 oryx in the country and more than 1,000 in Dubai, Dr Khan said humans and pets had to be cautious around them.
Dr Dieter Mallezek, owner and medical director of Blue Oasis Veterinary Clinic in the Green Community, urged dog owners to be cautious when taking them out.
“When leaving the cities and going to places like wadis, there will be wildlife and it can be unpredictable,” Dr Mallezek said.
“They may be trying to protect themselves or protect their offspring, and in that case they may be willing to take a step further and risk killing themselves to do so.”
Ms Lee, who lives only 10 minutes’ drive from the lakes, said she wished there were more places to take dogs off-leash. “It’s a shame there are not more places were the dogs can run free and in the cooler months you want to be outdoors with them.”
Ms Lee said she would be getting another dog in the future.
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