BY YANA MURASH
Heroes are people who show courage and selflessness in helping others. They are everywhere and they are in the Diplomatic Quarter (DQ) helping, not only people, but also animals.
Not many people know that the DQ has groups of concerned people who rescue and take care of injured or abandoned pets as well as trapping, neutering and releasing street cats. They help, as much as they can, to treat, to foster or find foster homes and eventually put up for adoption those that can be rehomed. Every day, rescuers receive calls from all around Riyadh and other parts of Saudi Arabia about animals needing help.
Meet DQ residents Rachel, Leila, and Ayla who have many years of experience in helping these animals. Read on and let them give you a glimpse of their lives as animal rescuers.
Can you tell us about yourselves?
Rachel: We are very happy to have the opportunity to help spread awareness about animals in need in Saudi Arabia.
I have lived on the DQ since 2007 and I immediately saw that pets and street animals alike need help here in the Kingdom. I work from home as a freelance copywriter but I spend most of my time involved in animal rescue. I help run Coexistence.sa along with other dedicated people and volunteers at Riyadh Animal Shelter.
Leila is busy studying for the International General Certificate of Secondary Education and in her spare time, she likes to do boxing, gaming, art making, reading and of course, helping animals in need. She also volunteers at the shelter. She is currently looking after a foster hamster and cat as well as taking care of our adopted local dog and cat.
Ayla is a vegan chef who runs her successful business, Ayla’s Kitchen. She loves animals and has been rescuing as long as she can remember, bringing home any injured animal. When she moved back to Riyadh five years ago, she was able to rescue and adopt Chika, her gorgeous Akita who was found in a terrible state on the DQ. She has been fostering and rescuing for years and now has a little rescue “mini zoo” at her home including dogs, cats and birds.
From all your experience in animal care, approximately how many animals have you found a new home for?
This is hard to answer exactly because I have really lost count. Sometimes I have had direct contact with the animal and been able to rehome him or her. Other times, just being able to connect people together helps to find the animal a new home. We have also sent dogs and cats to their new homes abroad – many seriously injured from abuse including being shot. I would say among us, it is over a hundred rescues that we have been involved in.
What is the role of your daughter, Leila, in animal care?
Leila has always been involved in animal rescue with me. If she could, she would adopt all the animals herself. She looks after sick animals and gives medication and injections. She has fosters that she is responsible for and that stay in her room. She has a lovely and gentle manner with animals, and they can sense that and feel comfortable and at ease with her instantly.
Do you feel that Riyadh citizens have a passion for animals?
I definitely feel that there are people who do. Riyadh has the first licensed shelter in Saudi Arabia. There are adoption days organized by the shelter and some by other Saudi rescuers in Riyadh. The younger generation seem to be more aware about animal welfare too. Unfortunately, there is also a massive problem of breeding, pet shops, inadequate vet care, pets being abandoned and street animals being poisoned and/or dumped which is truly horrific.
What are some of your memorable stories in doing this mission?
There are so many like Ayla’s Chika who was in such a bad condition that it was hard to recognize what type of dog she was. Some people even thought that she was a coyote. On the Diplomatic Quarters (DQ) Pets’ Facebook page, I posted about Kuro, a very emaciated and injured house cat who obviously had been abandoned. He was so sick that he could barely stand up. We temporarily fostered him, then found a foster to nurse him through his illness and get him ready for adoption. He was then taken by Riyadh Shelter totally transformed into a beautiful fluffy cat and now has his forever home. We could not have done that without also the generous help towards his vet bills and care.
Do you work sometimes with Riyadh Animal Shelter?
Yes, we go on a weekly basis to volunteer. We also take cats from the DQ to be trapped, neutered and released (TNR) as this is the best and only humane way to deal with and control feral cat colonies.
What is your recommendation for people who are thinking of getting a new pet?
Firstly, instead of buying, please adopt a pet. There are literally hundreds of animals in KSA who need homes. Secondly, do your research before you get a pet, especially their basic needs like food, housing, vet bills and beyond that, about how to make them a member of your family who needs patience, love and care. Finally, I would strongly advise researching the necessary procedures and costs of taking them with you if and when you leave Saudi Arabia.
What are your future plans regarding your advocacy?
For the DQ in particular, it would be great for residents here to have a vet clinic and more pet friendly spaces like a dog park, and in Saudi Arabia in general, to have more protection for animals and more awareness of how to treat all creatures with respect and dignity.
We, of course, plan to continue doing what we do – helping animals, by doing more yard sales to pay our bills and finding fosters and forever homes for pets either here or abroad. All of which would not be possible without help from the community. Please reach out to us if you think you can help.
For the people who want to know more about our advocacy, you can find and contact us on our different social media sites. Join our Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/734606573940037, follow our Instagram page at www.instagram.com/coexistence.sa and like us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SaCoexistence.
Other DQ Pet Facebook groups which you can search and also be a part of are the Diplomatic Quarters (DQ) Pets, Pet Sitting Exchange Riyadh and DQ Riyadh pet community.
Animals also need our love and care and we cannot thank enough the animal rescuers like Rachel, Leila and Ayla who are raising awareness about animal welfare, and for reminding us that these creatures do not deserve abandonment but they are gifts that need nurturing. May more people be like them and become the new breed of heroes we need.
