Search continues after suspected big cat sighting in Dubai suburb

The search continued on Wednesday for an exotic wild animal on the loose after a suspected sighting in a Dubai suburb a day earlier.

Dubai Police officers used drones to scan the Springs neighbourhood, south of Dubai Marina, after apparent sightings by residents of a 'large black cat'.

Authorities advised members of the community to exercise caution around what was believed to be a wild cat and to call 999 if they spot it.

Officials said they were taking the reports seriously and had deployed police and municipal officials to investigate, but urged the public not to panic.

In tweets posted by Dubai Media Office, police said bringing any kind of wild animal into a public environment was strictly prohibited under the emirate’s laws.

Anyone found guilty can face a jail term of up to six months and severe financial penalties.

Security staff and municipality vehicles were seen searching the area when The National visited.

“We have been looking for the animal since it was allegedly spotted by a resident this morning,” a security guard said.

“Dubai Municipality officers also came to the Springs 3. Security guards are in the area and we are trying to find it.”

Animal experts said the animal appeared to be a jaguar or panther after they viewed purported footage of it.

Sara Elliott, founder of the British Veterinary Hospital, said it appeared to be a young black leopard or panther.

“Without specifically seeing the full size of the animal or a close-up, it’s impossible to say which breed it is," she said.

“Leopards are smaller in size – adults only reach about 30 kilograms – so it appears to be in line with that kind of sizing.”

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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?

The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.

Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.

New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.

“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.

The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.

The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.

Bloomberg

Search continues after suspected big cat sighting in Dubai suburb

Police and municipal officials conducted an extensive search in the Springs area to find and capture a 'wild animal'

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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?

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