Watch: Live animals wow visitors at Dubai's Arabian Travel Market

From a docile hornsnake to a cute K9, animals are the stars of the show, which is taking place at the Dubai World Trade Center until May 4

Nasreen Abdulla

Published: Mon 1 May 2023, 2:46 PM

Last updated: Mon 1 May 2023, 9:52 PM

Live animals made a big splash at the 30th edition of the Arabian Travel Market that opened in Dubai today. From a docile hornsnake to a cute K9, animals were the stars of the show that is taking place at the Dubai World Trade Center until May 4.

Here are our top picks:

Hornsnake

Advertising

The docile and friendly yellow coloured hornsnake was ready to happily socialise with anyone that was willing to offer it a hand. “He is quite a friendly snake,” said Marie, who handles the hornsnake as well as other reptiles at Al Ain Zoo.

Charlie

With his brown furry body and sweet looking eyes, K9 Charlie elicited a few squeals from animal lovers as he walked freely around the ATM halls with his handler. When a passerby bent down to pet him, he immediately rolled over, demanding a belly rub. In this photo, Charlie and his handler Hamda pose with other K9 members.

Bald eagle

The American bald eagle cut quite a majestic figure at the ATM’s Al Ain Zoo stall. One of the stars of the bird show at the zoo, the eagle is ten years old, according to its handler Mohammed. “She likes to swoop into the water and peck at fish,” he said. “In fact, that is her act at the bird show.”

Cleopatra

The white hairy Egyptian eagle looked quite calm and composed as she posed for photographs at the stall. “She is named Cleopatra for her strut,” said Mohammed. “If you watch our bird show, you will be able to see how she struts alongside the handler. It is quite a treat to watch.”

Alia

This 7-year-old eagle owl is the friendliest owl in Dubai Safari Park, according to her handler Julius. “Usually, owls are not very friendly,” he said. “They need to trust you and have a bond with you to allow you to handle them. Alia is very friendly and hence she attends a lot of outdoor events with us.”

ALSO READ: