Keeping of wild animals in a residential area is illegal in the U.A.E

Keeping of wild animals in a residential area is illegal in the U.A.E yet banned household pets and exotic animals are still prowling UAE’s e-commerce websites and in some cases, the streets

Dubai: The UAE law does not allow wild and protected animals such as lions to be kept as pets, officials from the Ministry of Environment and Water have said.

Animal and wildlife centres across the UAE yesterday criticised the conditions in which five lions and one cheetah were being kept in a residential one-bedroom flat in a northern emirate, as reported by Gulf News.

Valid permits for the importation of protected species and tighter controls on where these animals end up must be investigated, said a number of wildlife groups.

Joy from Nairobi wrote: "The custody of big cats by people is interesting. It's really fun and should be allowed legally to have them, provided people have the basic facilities at their disposal."