"Animal Cruelty": Abu Dhabi's First Owl Cafe Goes Viral, Internet Angry

The cafe owner said 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.

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."