Teaching Compassion For Animals In Saudi Arabia

by Sherry Morse

A new campaign aimed to raise public awareness of animal welfare was recently launched in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The campaign, which will focus on teaching people to train and care for their animals humanely, will initially target domestic animal owners, but will expand to schools and prospective animal owners in the future.

The project is a joint venture of the Tahlia International Veterinary Clinic and a well-known Jeddah pet store, Fayfa.

The project, which is free and open to all, will include evening lectures to teach people how to look after animals and an opportunity to interact with animals safely.

Deborah Zahid, owner of the clinic, has believed for a long time that there is a lack of public education about animal welfare in the kingdom, and the new project will provide her with a way to educate the public to respect animals.

Dr. Raad Abuzinada, head of the National Commission for Wildlife and Conservation Development said, "Domestic animals have very specific needs, and owners need to understand what those needs are so their animals are as well cared for as they can be."
"This project is a valuable step toward bringing that about," he added.

As part of the project, land adjacent to the clinic and pet store will be converted to a grass paddock where deer and a pair of ponies which are currently kept in small concrete pens will be able to live in more appropriate conditions.

Ms. Zahid said that the new paddock will be used for both grazing and as a dog training area. Later, kennels and other facilities are planned to help reduce the number of abandoned animals.

Yousef Al-Sayegh, managing director of Fayfa, believes that the project will result in happier animals and better relationships between people and their animals.

He said, "It makes sound commercial and moral sense. I think it’s time to introduce new ideas and attitudes in the sale and ownership of pets."

© 2003 Animal News Center, Inc.