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Thousands of pets being abandoned in Dubai as owners flee over Iran war (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 1 day ago by Powderhorn@beehaw.org to c/news@beehaw.org

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Thousands of pets are being abandoned in Dubai as their owners flee the Middle East because of the Iran war, animal charities have said.

The RSPCA said pets of fleeing UK nationals could become “hidden victims” of the conflict as people who had relocated to the Gulf city scramble for an exit and struggle to bring their animals.

Last week, the UK government operated an emergency evacuation flight for people leaving the Middle East as the war continued. About 45,000 British nationals have left the Middle East since 1 March.

Hannah Mainds, the chief executive of the RSPCA Blackpool and north Lancashire branch, previously lived in Dubai and helped care for pets left behind after their owners suddenly left the country.

“Some [pets] were microchipped and clearly once loved, but their families had gone. It’s heartbreaking for rescuers and frightening for the animals,” Mainds said.

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[–] MountingSuspicion@reddthat.com 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Dubai is known for its for particularly egregious rights violations. Other countries have those too, but the article mentions people from the UK. Moving from the UK to the UAE does signal, at least to me, that human rights are not that big of a concern for you. The UK has a 91/100 vs UAE 18/100 "freedom" score. If the same article was about people fleeing Russia or Sudan back to the UK, I imagine there'd be a similar response. But Dubai in particular has a huge wealth gap, so on top of spending money to prop up an oppressive state, they are still able to surround themselves with luxury. I don't think that's racist, as much as unfortunate.

[–] Powderhorn@beehaw.org 2 points 1 day ago

While I appreciate the sentiment, the same can be said about the U.S. right now. There's enormous wealth disparity and human-rights violations worldwide, so that felt like throwing a stone from a glass house.