2017 | the year of the (big) cat

Big news for big cats and other exotic pets. The United Arab Emirates has banned the private ownership and dealing of wild animals. Status pets are on the way out and, hopefully, back into the wild.

Animal rights activists are understandably thrilled, for this is a triumph. The UAE was a hotspot for such narcissistic displays of animal investments and subsequent animal unhappiness. Now according to Gulf News "Anyone who takes a leopard, cheetah or any other kind of exotic animal out in public will face a jail term of up to six months and a fine". Good stuff.

Having read this news after detailing the potential fate of neglected exotic pets, I can hold a glimmer of hope for human attitudes towards our animal friends. By the end of 2017 China is set to ban all ivory trade and processing activities. As a country hosting the world’s largest ivory market, an end to this is the beginning of a much brighter future for elephants. The process of male chick culling may also be a horror of the past with the development of new technology capable of determining the gender of a chick before it hatches. It would allow egg producers to remove male and infertile eggs before they enter incubation, so they can be used for human consumption rather than destroyed on hatching. But most significant of all the animal success stories is that Ipswich has finally got itself a Hedgehog Officer. With joint funding from the Hedgehog Preservation Society, Suffolk Wildlife Trust and Heritage Lottery Fund the role will be part of an effort to combat the decline of these wonderful creatures in the area.

Such positive progress justifies a moment of celebratory reflection. It appears the dependence we have on animals, and the importance of treating them well, is starting to sink in. Respecting our animal counterparts as equals, empathising with them, understanding that they are not so different from us are all crucial lessons in the move towards a better, less destructive co-existence.

What’s happening now for animals provides a shred of optimism for the world. Amongst all the doom and gloom of Trump’s presidency and cold war distrust re-emerging, at least those who had suffered in silence for the longest are beginning to be represented. We can be proud of this, even if it is just rectifying the problems we caused ourselves.