The Rose-ringed Parakeet has gone from pet to pest after being released into the wild by fed-up owners.
The Rose-ringed Parakeet has gone from pet to pest after being released into the wild by fed-up owners.

Not such a pretty boy then - UAE plagued by parakeets



One of the most colourful and exotic-looking birds in the skies, the rose-ringed parakeet is also one of the most destructive.

Commonly known as the ring-necked parakeet, Psittacula krameri wreaks havoc with crops, vegetation and infrastructure, and is described by Dr Reza Khan, the director of Dubai Zoo and a bird specialist, as “one of the worst birds in the country”.

“They are terrible for the farmers, gardeners, city park managers and even road departments,” he says.

Flocks of the birds descend on farms, consuming everything in their path: buds, fruits, vegetables, nuts, berries and seeds – including dates at every stage of their growth.

Highly adaptable, they usually nest in tree holes. But any available high cavity will do, including wall crevices, masonry holes and under roofs.

In doing so, they can create a headache for the authorities. At one point in the late 1990s the birds discovered that the type of lamp post in use in Dubai at the time made an excellent home.

Across the city, the birds began to crawl into the posts, tearing out the electrical wires to use for their nests.

“They had to change all the lamp posts in Dubai,” winces Dr Khan, although he cannot help but be impressed by the parakeets’ ingenuity.

Native to the Asian subcontinent and parts of Africa, the birds were introduced to the UAE in the 1970s and 1980s.

At that time, despite the passage in India in 1972 of the Wildlife Protection Act, visitors to the subcontinent often returned with rare and wild animals – including the rose-ringed parakeets, whose splendid looks and ability to mimic human speech made them popular pets.

“Pet owners who became fed up with their parakeets and pet shop owners who could not sell them released them into nature,” explains Dr Kahn. “They thought they were doing nature a favour.”

The newly wild parakeets have thrived. “They are not shy of people and are used to living in farmland and urban edges in India,” says Oscar Campbell, chairman of the Emirates Bird Records Committee. “There was an unoccupied niche for them here when city parks and farms were created.”

Dr Khan adds that neither adults nor chicks have any natural predators, nor are they prone to disease.

The result is that feral populations can now be found in cities, towns and parks throughout the country.

“In 1990-91 there were just a few pairs in Dubai and none beyond Jumeirah,” Dr Khan says. “Now it has not only crossed Abu Dhabi, but flocks have reached up to Jebel Dhana in the extreme north-west.”

The Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi and the Dubai government have both tried to control them, trapping and killing thousands of birds, to little effect.

“I received three truckloads of trapped or hunted down birds,” says Dr Khan. “But I don’t see their numbers going down.”

What is needed, he says, is a joint effort by all emirates and their environmental and wildlife agencies to stamp them out altogether.

“They need to be eradicated from the whole country. A co-ordinated effort which includes the designs of buildings, street lamps, types of trees planted in gardens, and destroying nesting sites needs to be undertaken.”

Not everyone agrees. Abdullah TP, 43, a supervisor at the Creature Oasis pet shop in Dubai, believes the problem is overstated.

“In India they come in big groups and destroy farms,” he says. “But there are few of them here and they are not as much of a problem or disturbance.”

Having worked with the birds for more than 15 years, he says they are friendly animals that make popular pets. “They are funny birds who don’t make too much noise but can talk and sing. They are good pets.”

Florend Sayo, 35, who manages the Barsha branch of Pet Plus, agrees that the parakeet is a sociable bird.

“They don’t fight with each other as much as other parrots, [and they] can be trained and hand held.”

He, too, is opposed to eradication. “All animals have a right to live, they just need to be brought to their proper environment.”

But Dr Khan wants them dead, and the importing of them stopped.

“There must be a uniform system in the whole UAE so that all pet birds and animals are tagged or micro-chipped and entered into a local and national database,” he says. “That would allow those that escape to be traced and hunted down or returned to the legal owners.”

Dr Khan believes harsh penalties must be handed out to those found intentionally violating this system.

“People tend to love pet birds but they and their birds have to be controlled and regulated,” he says.

tsubaihi@thenational.ae

MATCH INFO

Qalandars 109-3 (10ovs)

Salt 30, Malan 24, Trego 23, Jayasuriya 2-14

Bangla Tigers (9.4ovs)

Fletcher 52, Rossouw 31

Bangla Tigers win by six wickets

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

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Cryopreservation: A timeline
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

The specs

Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm

Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Kerb weight: 1580kg

Price: From Dh750k

On sale: via special order

INDIA'S%20TOP%20INFLUENCERS
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Teams

Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq

Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi

Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag

Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC

Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC

Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan

Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes

Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals

THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

Game Changer

Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

MATCH INFO

Champions League last 16, first leg

Tottenham v RB Leipzig, Wednesday, midnight (UAE)

Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ

Price, base: Dh1,731,672

Engine: 6.5-litre V12

Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm

Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm

Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Fight card

1. Bantamweight: Victor Nunes (BRA) v Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK)

2. Featherweight: Hussein Salim (IRQ) v Shakhriyor Juraev (UZB)

3. Catchweight 80kg: Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Khamza Yamadaev (RUS)

4. Lightweight: Ho Taek-oh (KOR) v Ronald Girones (CUB)

5. Lightweight: Arthur Zaynukov (RUS) v Damien Lapilus (FRA)

6. Bantamweight: Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) v Furkatbek Yokubov (RUS)

7. Featherweight: Movlid Khaybulaev (RUS) v Zaka Fatullazade (AZE)

8. Flyweight: Shannon Ross (TUR) v Donovon Freelow (USA)

9. Lightweight: Mohammad Yahya (UAE) v Dan Collins (GBR)

10. Catchweight 73kg: Islam Mamedov (RUS) v Martun Mezhulmyan (ARM)

11. Bantamweight World title: Jaures Dea (CAM) v Xavier Alaoui (MAR)

12. Flyweight World title: Manon Fiorot (FRA) v Gabriela Campo (ARG)