Pet owners in Kuwait push back on DGCA’s travel restrictions

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KUWAIT CITY, Jan 16: President of the Animal Welfare Society (Souls) Sheikha Al-Saadoun expressed her complete rejection of the decision issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to allow each passenger to take only one animal when traveling on the plane, and to check-in the remaining animals (dogs and/or cats) in the area designated for cargo.

Al-Saadoun stressed that the society rejects this decision because of the high shipping cost, which is about KD 500 for a small cat or dog, and upto KD 1,000 for a large one.

She stressed that this new decision would force animal owners to dispose of them on the streets due to the high cost of transporting them if they travel, and there is no one to take care of their animals, adding that this would in turn lead to an increase in the number of stray animals on the streets.

Al-Saadoun urged DGCA to reconsider its decision in this regard.

On a related note, Al-Saadoun said the society recently launched a ten-day campaign to sterilize and castrate stray dogs on the streets, indicating that this campaign was launched after receiving the approval of the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR).

She revealed that the campaign began in Sabahiya, and will be held in several other areas in the coming days where stray dogs abound.

Al-Saadoun explained that the phenomenon of stray dogs has increased in Kuwait in recent years as a result of non-implementation of animal ownership laws and the animal welfare law, adding that the recent decision of DGCA will contribute to further increasing the problem.

By Najeh Bilal
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff

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