When I decided to study veterinary science, a friend of mine introduced me to a lady called Tamara Qabazard who works at Kuwait Zoo.
Before leaving K-town, I visited Tamara with my best friend Aisha and she took us on a special tour of the zoo. Over the course of this fascinating day, I met two spectacular African elephants, Dalal and Malik, face to face.
Elephants are amazing creatures. Being so close to them made me realize how striking they are. They have long eyelashes and very expressive eyes. Their skin feels weird, it is not harsh as one would expect. They are very gentle, as if they know how powerful they are and do not wish to harm you.
Sadly, Dalal and Malik are not living the life that they deserve in Kuwait Zoo. The zoo is a place where animals are held behind cold, rusty metal bars, in small, filthy cages where they have no room to play or exercise, for people to throw rocks at. This act is prohibited, yet it is still practiced because of the lack of supervision and security in the zoo.
It made me feel very sad to see such majestic creatures suffering and humiliated by some visitors. Many other animals such a giraffe and a baby lemur have died because of the cruel acts of many visitors (click here). We share an amazing planet with these unique animals and it is our responsibility to make sure they are safe.
While the employees try their best, they need our support. The zoo animals need better enclosures and they need to be stimulated mentally and physically. Providing better living conditions for healthy animals means we could have a beautiful zoo for everyone to enjoy. The animals in Kuwait zoo need us.
My friend Tamara and her team are selling T-shirts to raise money to expand Dalal and Malik’s enclosure and provide them with toys. A shirt costs 10KD (almost $35 AUD), and any excess money will go to other zoo animals that desperately need our help. To get a “Malik & Dalal” shirt contact Tamara on tqabazard@gmail.com or Kik: tqabazard
My other friend Fatima Al-Sabah is also raising money to donate to Tamara and her team. Fatima will donate 1KD for every ‘like’ she receives on the pictures of Dalal and Malik on her instagram account. She also has a project called “An elephant a day” to raise donation for the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Click here to learn more.
Here are the beautiful pictures that Fatima Al-Sabah took and pictures of myself with the stunning African elephant, Dalal.
Ine*vet*able Fate 