The animals were confiscated after a good Samaritan notified the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi - about a group of animals being kept in a small cage for sale inside a house behind Khalidiya Park. A team from EAD and the Ministry of Environment and Water was immediately dispatched to investigate the situation.

All the confiscated animals are listed in CITES Appendices as endangered species. It is prohibited to sell them or display them in public, without the necessary registration provided by assigned authorities as set forth in Federal Law No. 11 on Regulating and Controlling International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which was issued in 2002.

After the investigation, the necessary actions were taken, whereby Abu Dhabi Police seized the animals as well as the owner. The investigation will now be continued by the prosecution. The confiscated animals were safely transferred to Abu Dhabi Wildlife Center where they will undergo the necessary medical examinations.

EAD spokesman said that ‘UAE is intensifying its fight against the illegal trade in endangered species and is implementing strict legal procedures to control this trade and penalize violators. According to federal law, all endangered species specimens, included in the Appendices, require a CITES certificate from the country of origin in addition to an export or re-export permit issued from the concerned authorities in the country’.