Exposing the dangers of illegal wildlife trade.

Dubai: Baby cheetahs, African grey parrots and reptiles often suffer and die from diseases caught in transit to the UAE and are putting humans and other animals at risk of disease, said an exotic pet veterinarian.

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"We treat a lot of falcons primarily and slowly more and more exotic animals [are] being brought in for treatment," said Christopher Lloyd, head veterinarian at Nad Al Sheba Veterinarian Hospital.

"There are a lot of problems with exotic birds and parrots. They can be unsuitable animals but are sold by pet shops and souqs without giving the buyer correct information," said Lloyd.

"Some animals are smuggled into the country or [brought in] by devious means but the major issue are the diseases and viruses they can carry. There is a [prevalence of] psittacosis...and in African Grey Parrots it is almost always fatal," he said. An avian form of HIV, psittacosis is carried by animals in souqs which usually catch it from older birds.

"In closed environments like a souq where there are hundreds of birds crowded together, birds can become very sick. Animals shed it from their skin. When birds pick and clean their feathers, younger birds inhale the virus and fall sick," said Lloyd.

"If looked after properly of course they can make good pets. Some requirements are quite specialised," he said.

Ending illegal imports

Lloyd also takes care of animals in private collections and sometimes somebody will walk in with an unusual animal, such as a six-week old baby cheetah or a baby baboon.

"Animals from other parts of the world are available here but the worry is that they are not checked for tuberculosis or rabies. Some primates or bushbabies are not legally imported. Seeing the end of that would be brilliant," he said. Lloyd's veterinary clinic has been open for five years. In the beginning he tried to forge links with pet shops to educate them on animal care. "I did some reports for pet shops but when I went back to check on things a while later, nothing had been applied," he said.

The baby cheetah brought to the clinic died soon after. "It was removed from its mother far too soon. It was only six to eight weeks," he said.

Campaign: Wildlife souvenirs

The International Foundation for Animal Welfare (IFAW) recently launched their Think Twice public awareness campaign aimed at educating tourists and consumers about the impact of wildlife souvenirs on the survival of endangered species.

The campaign aims to protect endangered wildlife species from the growing illegal commercial wildlife trade around the world. IFAW's approach to combating illegal wildlife trade in the Middle East andNorth Africa region is to work in cooperation with local governments and agencies.

"Think Twice Dubai" was launched in cooperation with Dubai Municipality and the Global Village.

Do you know anyone who owns an exotic pet? What do they do to ensure that they are well taken care of? Should there be stricter regulations in place to ensure that animals receive suitable care in pet shops?

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