All of us have heard about pet-friendly cafes across the globe. In a first, Abu Dhabi is now home to the first owl cafe in the Middle East. Nine owls reside at Boomah Cafe, where you can learn about them and even hold them for 70 Dirhams (about Rs 1500). The birds are cared for by trainers. However, the now-viral clip did not sit well with internet users who called it "animal cruelty".
The cafe gained popularity after various videos of the unique experience went viral online. Cafe owner Mohamed Al Shehhi told Time Out that "the wellbeing of the owls comes as the top priority for the cafe;".
He stated that the eatery opens at 2 pm every day. This allows the owls "enough rest all night and all morning, and while closing, they are released to move around freely". He told the outlet, "Some of the owls at Boomah can never live in the wild, let's take Venus (the Tawny Owl), for example. She hatched with one wing being shorter than the other, disabling her from flying at high altitudes or for long distances. While being cared for by Boomah team, Venus is now a healthy eight-year-old owl living happily despite the disability."
Mohamed Al Shehhi added that the idea was inspired by the Japanese Owl Cafes. "We enhanced the idea in a way that would satisfy the Middle Eastern society," he concluded.
A video of the cafe was recently shared by content creator Little Foodie on Instagram. In the clip, several owls along with their name tags and species information are seen near a wooden board.
They wrote in the caption, "The owners have stated multiple times that Boomah opens daily at 2 PM until 10 PM (for 8 hours only) to allow the owls to rest and roam free in an air conditioned room as the wellbeing of the owls is their top priority. Some of the owls cannot live/survive in the wild due to disabilities preventing them from flying hence are taken care of by trained staff." They added, "The owls' room is divided by a glass incase you don't want to interact with them and just watch from a distance.. but if you wish to get up close, it costs AED 70 per person."
Since being shared, the video has over 84,000 likes and 1.7 million views on Instagram.
"I mean birds should be free unless these birds need rehab and you are keeping them till healthy and setting them free? Seems so wrong to make money of caged animals," said a user.
Another said, "Can we stop using animals for entertainment and money? This is wrong on every level"
"This is animal cruelty," remarked a person.
A user commented, "When will animal entertainment be stopped for good! Us humans are appalling!! These birds are trapped in chains, HEARTBREAKING"
"This sends nothing but the wrong message to wildlife. Injured (if they actually are) owls should be in a sanctuary and only used for education and not as props or toys for random people," added a user.
"Terrible to see those poor birds and what sad lives they have and totally against their nature. This should not be allowed and is not what should be supported by our community. PLEASE DO NOT VISIT THIS PLACE," said another person.
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