ABU DHABI, UAE: The inhabitants of the desolate, man-made island off the coast of Abu Dhabi can’t be immediately seen among the breakwater rocks.
But as you draw close, their meows give them away.
A colony of stray cats has swelled on Lulu Island among its barren sandy hills and abandoned buildings that have fallen into disrepair, with the gleaming modern skyline of the UAE as a background.
The island has lain fallow and largely undeveloped since an ambitious plan by famed Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer to turn it into a “leisure park” fell apart in the 1980s.
A volunteer group is trying to spay and neuter the island’s cats while caring for them in an abandoned modernist’s dream that seems to suit the Arabian Maus living there.
“The flora and the fauna all live in harmony with each other,” said Susan Aylott, who leads the aid group Animal Welfare Abu Dhabi . “Everything lives in harmony with the cats here.”
Lulu, which means “pearl” in Arabic, is a narrow island around three miles long running along the coast in front of Abu Dhabi’s downtown, protecting its shores from the sometimes choppy waters of the Arabian Gulf. Niemeyer’s planned attractions, including an aquarium; conference center and marina were never built. A few other beach structures were built but lie unused and more recent plans to develop it never got off the ground.
In 2009, Abu Dhabi stopped ferries to the island amid an economic slowdown, and in theory it’s closed to the public, though sometimes people drop by on their own boats just to see it.
But sometime over the decades, cats made it across the narrow channel — about a half-mile wide — separating it from Abu Dhabi Theatre and the rest of the capital. Four years ago, they numbered 27, Aylott said. Now there’s over 165, mostly Arabian Maus, she said.
“You can’t just remove them,” she said on a recent visit to the 469-hectare (1.8-mile) island. “This is their home.”
So Aylott and others are working to neuter and spay the cats. On a recent day, a bunch of cats dashed out for the food set out by Aylott and her volunteers — and some had docked ears, a sign they had undergone the procedure. But a short distance away, a kitten hid behind a water tank, meaning others remain fertile.
“We all want to help to make the vision of Abu Dhabi a better place — for the cats anyway,” Aylott said.
Yet there is always more work to do. Aylott’s brow at one point furrowed with a call to her mobile phone. Her group had plans to resettle a giant African tortoise at a local Abu Dhabi hotel because its owner, who kept it at home, is leaving the country.
Abu Dhabi: An island home to stray cats seeks aid
Abu Dhabi: An island home to stray cats seeks aid
Elysee Palace silver steward arrested for stealing thousands of euros’ worth of silverware
- The Sevres Manufactory — which supplied most of the furnishings — identified several of the missing items on online auction websites
- Investigators later found around 100 objects in the silver steward’s personal locker, his vehicle and their home
PARIS: Three men will stand trial next year after a silver steward employed at the official residence of the French president was arrested this week for the theft of items of silverware and table service worth thousands of euros, the Paris prosecutor’s office said.
The Elysee Palace’s head steward reported the disappearance, with the estimated loss ranging between 15,000 and 40,000 euros (($17,500-$47,000).
The Sevres Manufactory — which supplied most of the furnishings — identified several of the missing items on online auction websites. Questioning of Elysee staff led investigators to suspect one of the silver stewards, whose inventory records gave the impression he was planning future thefts.
Investigators established that the man was in a relationship with the manager of a company specializing in the online sale of objects, notably tableware. Investigators discovered on his Vinted account a plate stamped “French Air Force” and “Sevres Manufactory” ashtrays that are not available to the general public.
Around 100 objects were found in the silver steward’s personal locker, his vehicle and their home. Among the items recovered were copper saucepans, Sevres porcelain, a René Lalique statuette and Baccarat champagne coupes.
The two were arrested Tuesday. Investigators also identified a single receiver of the stolen goods. The recovered items were returned to the Elysee Palace.
The three suspects appeared in court Thursday on charges of jointly stealing movable property listed as part of the national heritage — an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a 150,000-euro fine, as well as aggravated handling of stolen goods.
The trial was postponed to Feb. 26. The defendants were placed under judicial supervision, banned from contacting one another, prohibited from appearing at auction venues and barred from their professional activities.
