[UPDATED 12:20 PM] The ILQ team spoke to a person who reported this Cheetah to Baladiya on 10 June 2020 morning. A Cheetah's dead body was found near Lusail Metro and the Baladiya team visited the site in the afternoon, removed the dead body, and sent him the below photos.

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A picture of a dead cheetah in a black bin bag has been circulating on social media. How did the cheetah get there? Who threw it like rubbish so mercilessly? Where was the dead cheetah found? Who took the picture?

These are all questions that are still unanswered. And, we are working hard to find the answers so we can give you an accurate report of what really happened and how the cheetah ended up where it did.

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Found discarded like rubbish in a rubbish bag. Although there are laws that prohibit the ownership, import, export or trade of any dangerous animals and creatures without a license, we sadly see many wild animals kept as pets in Qatar, and it is often a boasting matter amongst groups. Tigers, leopards, monkeys and other exotic animals are often illegally bred or smuggled, and kept as house pets until they are killed or sadly pass away. Animals that live in the wild, belong in the wild. They are not for cruel human entertainment purposes. @peta @wwf @wwf_uk @wwfmarket @animalwelfareleague @animalwelfare.qatar @animalwelfarefoundation @animalwelfareadvocate @animal.ethics #stopthewildlifetrade #wildlife #exoticanimals #exoticpet#exoticpets #jaguar #leopard #tiger #wildcats #bigcats #bigcatsofinstagram #wildlifeonearth #wildlifeprotection #animalrights #animallovers #animalactivist #doha #qatar #pawsrescueqatar #animalabuse #peta #animalabuse #animalcruelty #vegan #veganlife #animalkingdom #petstagram #speakup #innocent #cheetah

A post shared by Ｐａｗｓ Ｒｅｓｃｕｅ Ｑａｔａｒ🐾 (@pawsrescueqatar) on Aug 25, 2020 at 5:01am PDT

The community in Qatar is very upset about the image being circulated; messages have been pouring in as can be seen in the Paws rescue Qatar Instagram post above with people wanting to know how someone can leave a dead animal that way.

ILQ condemns any act of animal cruelty. Find out more about the Wild Cat trade in the GCC in this article written by Lauren Wrede in 2017.

Laws on animal cruelty in Qatar

Qatar has Laws against animal cruelty and they have been enforced in Qatar since 1974.
: LAW NO. 9 OF 1974 ON THE ABANDONING AND NEGLECTING OF ANIMALS [ARABIC l ENGLISH]

Penalties for animal cruelty in Qatar

Did you know in Qatar, beating up a stray or pet dog or cat can result in one being sent to jail for at least two months or a fine of QR 1,000 or both, according to a prominent lawyer Yusul Al-Zaman in The Qatar Peninsula? And, the prison term is a minimum of three years or a penalty of QR 2,000 or both for those found guilty of killing domestic animals, including honeybees, dogs and cats.

The punishment is more severe (three-year jail term or a fine of QR 5,000 or both) for killing animals that humans can ride like camels and donkeys, Al Zaman, said citing articles 393, 394 and 395 of the Criminal Penal Code (No 11 of 2004).

Qatar is a signatory of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) treaty.

The aim of CITES is to ensure that the international trade of wild animals or plants does not threaten their survival. As a signatory, Qatar prohibits the import of wild animals, even if someone provides CITES papers. The Ministry of Municipality and Environment and the Ministry of Interior, warn that the import of wild animals will warrant penalties that include jail terms.

The Ministry of Municipality and Environment (Al Baladiya) urges the public to dispose of their dead animals properly

Baladiya appeals to owners of animals to not throw their dead animals, but to dispose of them properly by throwing them in special containers:

In May 2019, Baladiya posted a tweet:

Department of Public Hygiene carried out a clean-up campaign in Alshehaniya wild area, during which 105 of the dead animals were removed. #MME appeals to the owners not to throw dead animals at random, and to dispose of them properly by throwing them in special containers. #Qatar pic.twitter.com/QqeJJJI5bL

— Baladiya (@Baladiya1) May 14, 2019

Animal abuse in Qatar

Unfortunately, even though Qatar has such stringent laws on animal cruelty and the welfare of animals, we have seen many different forms of animal abuse on social media through different animal welfare societies here in Qatar.

Talking about the wild animals, do their owners provide a similar habitat to the one they are supposed to be living in? Also, are these owners trained to handle these animals?

They might say that their "pets" have been with them from an early age and they do not have the wild instincts. However, would these animals really be happy to be caged up or would they prefer being in their own natural habitat?

This is the sad reality the public doesn’t see. This dog, like others we have helped, is the victim of a shooting here in Doha. Please share our post to raise awareness that these acts happen in our nation. When will laws be reinforced to protect these innocent souls? Thanks to our buddies at VZW Rescue Salukis Middle East -RSME for taking on this case. This gentle soul will be ready for foster and adoption soon. To donate- please donate at Royal Vet Clinic al wabb. #dog #shooting #abuse #neglect #doha #qatar #thepearl #qatarinstagram #qatari #dogstagram #adoptdontshop #rescuedog #rescue #rescuedogsofinstagram #instadog #animallovers #vegan #adopt #stopanimalabuse #pawsrescueqatar #vet #veterinarian #animalrights #dogsofinstagram #dogsofinsta #puppy #petstagram #pets #animal #thedodo @thedodo @peta @animalrightsmovement

A post shared by Ｐａｗｓ Ｒｅｓｃｕｅ Ｑａｔａｒ🐾 (@pawsrescueqatar) on Feb 9, 2019 at 2:27pm PST

It is our responsibility to stop animal abuse and cruelty, and to spread awareness about looking after them. The law is there, but maybe more needs to be done to enforce it. Perhaps the authorities can tighten the laws further and put a better monitoring and reporting mechanism in place, so people think twice before they neglect, abuse or abandon a pet/animal.

This is not the first time we have seen abuse of this sort, but we do hope it's the last. Animals are living and breathing creatures and deserve to be treated with kindness. Let's all put our hands together and fight this animal abuse.

This is a developing story and we will bring you more updates as we get them.

Abuse and cruelty towards animals are considered illegal in Qatar. If anyone does see any form of animal abuse or cruelty you can report it on this number +974 234 0888.

Cover image credit: Paws Rescue Qatar

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