Petting zoos are gaining popularity in the UAE, but are they ethical?

That's the question animal-welfare experts are posing to parents during the Christian Easter holidays, a time when fluffy bunny rabbits and chicks are in high demand at petting zoos for children.

Permanent and pop-up petting zoos are popular in the UAE and are legitimate businesss, commonly found at markets and fairs. Getty Images

DUBAI // Animal welfare experts have urged parents to think twice about hiring the services of or letting their children near a petting zoo.

Rabbits and chicks feature prominently in such zoos at this time of year as both animals are synonymous with Christian Easter traditions, but some experts have raised animal welfare concerns.

Permanent and pop-up petting zoos are popular in the UAE and are legitimate businesss, commonly found at markets and fairs. Restaurants across the country are also jumping on the bandwagon, featuring little animals as part of their Easter brunch packages to entertain children.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) Asia-Pacific, an international animal rights organisation, said that creatures in petting zoos are deprived of everything that is natural and important to them.

“They live perpetual states of confinement, discomfort and stress and are subjected to a constant barrage of strange noises, activity and people trying to touch them,” said Peta Asia-Pacific spokeswoman Ashley Fruno.

She said that rabbits, in particular, are extremely sensitive, easily stressed by unfamiliar surroundings and scared by loud noises and sudden movements.

“As natural prey animals, they panic when handled as they believe they are about to be killed,” Ms Fruno said. “Rabbits’ skeletons are very delicate and their spines easily snap if they kick from fear, or they’re dropped or even held improperly.”

Ms Fruno also said that using rabbits and chicks as props may inspire many children to want them as pets, and if purchased on a whim, they are soon discarded when the cute factor takes a back seat to the responsibility of properly caring for them.

“Many are abandoned outdoors in the misguided belief that they can fend for themselves. Others are bounced around from home to home,” she said.

Ms Fruno said that parents should teach their children about animals through documentaries, the internet and by volunteering at animal rescue groups.

“We encourage any families who are ready for the long-term commitment of a pet to adopt from a shelter,” she said.

Debbie Lawson, a Dubai animal-welfare volunteer, said putting a number of different species in a small vehicle to transport them across town can cause stress and suffering.

“We should focus our efforts on preserving their natural habitat by understanding the impact our lifestyles have on the environment,” she said. “It is cruel to use chicks at Easter events and especially cruel to colour dye them, as that may lead to poisoning and death.”

Cerika van Wyk, general manager of Al Tamimi Stables, which provides a mobile petting zoo service, said that theirs was an ethical one that is more about education than entertainment.

“We don’t like to call them petting zoos, we call them petting farms,” she said. “We want to teach children how to interact with animals and learn about nature.

“Animals don’t belong in cages but due to the world being what it is, there’s no other way because there are hundreds of pet shops that sell animals to people that don’t know what kind of responsibility this is. So we end up with loads of animals everywhere.”

Ms Van Wyk said that most of the animals on the farm were rescued or surrendered to them.

“Over 600 animals are taken care of by us by doing the educational farms,” she said. “To stop animal cruelty, we need to educate children.”

Ms Van Wyk said that the animals are transported in air condition-controlled environments and are given food and shade.

“We control the interactions as much as possible and there is a limited number of children and their interactions can be no more than 20 minutes,” she said. “If we find that the child is being aggressive, we ask them to leave.

“If an animal or rabbit, for example, shows any signs of stress, we remove them and make sure he has whatever he needs to be happy.

“We are very passionate about this, and I think other services give us a bad name, because we truly do care for the animals and to educate children - we’re just trying to make the best out of a bad situation.”