Bad monkey business

PICTURES THAT HAVE emerged of a monkey in a nightclub in Dubai have set off a furious backlash from animal rights activists who are calling for a boycott of the venue.

Vanity nightclub is doing damage control after the disturbing images, including one in which a bottle of alcohol is being tipped to the animal’s mouth, began circulating online.

The club issued a statement that read: “We would like to reiterate that Vanity Night Club has never ‘knowingly’ allowed nor will allow any animals into our premises. This incident happened during a promoters night. As soon as our staff realised the situation, the guest and his pet were both removed from the venue immediately. Guest and promoters are also banned from ever entering the club again. In addition, the third-party security agency tasked to man our doors has now been let go.”

The incident took place last Tuesday and the snaps posted to Facebook included the logo ‘Blackout DXB’, the name of the themed night. Patrons of the club expressd disgust for allowing the animal to be exposed to danger and exploited for entertainment.

Following the unprecedented firestorm of bad publicity, the nightclub has said that it will donate Dhs10,000 to animal welfare charities in Dubai. - kadry@khaleejtimes.com