Wars are a catastrophe not only for civilian populations, for the environment and for economies (with the exception of arms manufacturers), but also for animals. Missiles and bombs, in fact, spare no one. It is often a silent massacre that the media fails to cover, partly due to the need to follow the course of conflicts and the human death tolls. In the case of the conflict in the Middle East, however, a further, new and distressing phenomenon is emerging: the abandonment of vast numbers of pets by people hastily fleeing the Gulf countries.

Dubai, a city overrun by millionaires drawn by opulence and favourable taxation

As is well known, ever since Israel and the United States attacked Iran, the Islamic Republic has responded not only by striking the Jewish state but also countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which host American military bases and have close economic ties with the Washington government. This has triggered a wave of repatriations among the many foreign nationals present in the region, particularly in opulent Dubai.

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Pets Abandoned In Dubai As Residents Flee Iran War Tensions, Rescue Groups Report Surge

#IsraelIranWar #Dubai #Pets

news.abplive.com/news/world/dub…

11 mar 2026 · Apri su X →

These are mostly VIPs, influencers and particularly wealthy individuals, who in many cases decided to relocate to the Middle East attracted by the promise of an exceptionally affluent lifestyle and an extremely favourable tax regime. With the war under way, tens of thousands of them have scrambled to board the increasingly scarce flights departing from local airports. And numerous media outlets have noted how careful people were not to leave behind jewellery, watches and other valuables, while far less attention was paid to pets.

Animal associations and shelters: "We are overwhelmed"

The Australian outlet News.com.au reports, for example, on the numerous accounts circulating on social media on the subject: one of these shows an abandoned cage left outside a house in Dubai, containing a cat and her five kittens. On top of it, a message from the owner: "Four kittens and their mum are inside the box. I'm going back to my country because of the situation. I tried to call but couldn't get through, so I found your address. I'm sorry for leaving them in front of the gate."

Local animal welfare organisations report a surge in cases, saying they are "flooded with calls about puppies abandoned by owners who have returned to their home countries", as the K9 Friends shelter states.

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The association Six Hounds has issued an appeal: "We are overwhelmed, with limited financial resources and few staff. If anyone can help us, please send us a message."

Harrowing cases reported: "Some owners are asking for their animals to be put down"

The Australian newspaper highlights how abandoning pets in Dubai is illegal under UAE law: an offence punishable by imprisonment or fines ranging from 10,000 to 200,000 dirhams, depending on the severity and the danger posed by the animals in question. In the case of cats, it is easy to imagine that the penalty — assuming the owners can even be traced — would be minimal: we are talking about approximately €2,375. Small change for many of the people who choose to live in Dubai.

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🐕 Vets in Dubai say they are seeing large numbers of cats and dogs being left on the streets as their owners flee

We've spoken to volunteers on the ground taking care of the strays 👇
telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/0…

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The weekly magazine India Today even reports extreme and harrowing cases: "Some owners, faced with expensive bureaucratic procedures required to fly their animals out, allegedly asked private clinics to put them down, even though the animals were in perfectly good health." Some vets have also reported receiving similar requests.

"There are no excuses — Dubai is an extremely wealthy city"

Both outlets also describe dogs abandoned tied to lampposts on the city's streets, "with no food or water", and others roaming the scorching asphalt under the blazing sun (temperatures in Dubai are already approaching 30 degrees in the shade). The French weekly Courrier International quotes Louise Hastie, director of the organisation War Paws, who acknowledges that while one can understand some people may have panicked, "there are truly no excuses for this behaviour. Dubai is an extremely wealthy city." The means to save those poor creatures were certainly not lacking.