A former animal handler who spent 32 years working for Dubai Zoo has died of Covid-19 in India.
Ratnasundram Devadoss, from Puducherry, on India's south-east coast, was famous for raising the big cats at Dubai Zoo, and once appeared on a local magazine cover feeding a lion cub.
He died from complications caused by Covid-19 on Tuesday night, after a two-week illness. He was 67 years old.
His son Madhan, 23, who also caught the virus, paid tribute to his father from his home in India.
"My father was a great man. He was very kind, very noble," he told The National.
It's a great loss to our small zoo community in Dubai
“He was never scared to care for the dangerous animals, even the lions, cheetahs and gorillas. He was very dedicated to his job.
“He would come home once a month every year, and he would tell me about the animals he treated.
“Dr Reza Khan was like family to him,” he said.
Formerly head of Dubai Zoo, Dr Khan lived in a villa in the animal park with his wife and three children.
Now retired, the wildlife expert remembered his former employer warmly.
“Ratnasundram Devadoss was a dear animal keeper to me, and all who met him during his tenure of over 32 years at Dubai Zoo.
“When I joined the zoo as its head in June 1989, he turned out to know almost all segments of animal care in the zoo.
“He was always the first to volunteer to replace keepers and even the cashiers.
"He was so kind that he would even delay his own leave to allow another keeper to take leave.
“In addition to his daily animal keeping job, he worked as de facto storekeeper and Dubai zoo bookseller, as a nurse in the vet clinic, and raised orphan zoo animal babies.
"It's a great loss to our small zoo community in Dubai," Dr Khan said.
Dr Khan's son, Raz Khan, 40, grew up around Devadoss, and described him as "an absolute gem of a person".
“Das, as we called him, was a constant positive force in my life from when I was 9 years old until he retired and moved back home," he said.
"We would watch cricket matches together, fry fish together, laugh together, raise lion cubs together.
“Every day, right after his work day would finish, Das would make sure he came down to the villa to play some cricket with me.
“He was there when I graduated from high school, got my first job and brought my first-born home from the hospital.
“He is still with me today.”
Dubai Zoo opened in 1967 with several dozen animals, but that number grew considerably due to donations, both from individuals and from Dubai Customs, who confiscated illegal wild animals smuggled into the emirate.
In 2018 the new 119-hectare Dubai Safari Park opened near Dragon Mart mall, only to close five months later.
It reopened in October 2020, following a change in management and to allow extensive work to be completed to animal enclosures.
The park is now home to about 3,000 animals and is open daily from 9am until 5pm.
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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.
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Sector: Education Technology
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