An animal sanctuary in Jeddah that is more than just a pet project

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Updated 11 November 2021
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An animal sanctuary in Jeddah that is more than just a pet project

  • DJ Kennels is home to dogs, cats, rabbits, owls, hyenas and even a lion

JEDDAH: Pet therapy is a relatively new concept in Saudi Arabia but the fact that it has been widely embraced and supported suggests that it is something that was badly needed.
DJ Kennels, which was established in Jeddah in 2017, is an animal shelter that provides a home for abandoned pets and even rescued wild animals. The residents of this mini wildlife park include dogs, cats, rabbits, owls, hyenas and even a lion.
For many animal lovers in the city, DJ Kennels offers the perfect chance for some much-needed animal therapy, especially after the closure of other animal sanctuaries such as Al-Anaam Al-Jameela Park and Fayfa.
Pet therapy is just one of the services provided by DJ Kennels. It also handles animal adoptions, a pet hotel, volunteering opportunities and animal rescue services, among others. They also take in pets whose owners can no longer care for them, and train them if required so that they can be put up for adoption.
Mahmoud Azzam, the owner of the kennels, told Arab News that it all began as a hobby.
“I saw a huge demand for services such as animal parks and petting zoos, and this is how this hobby turned into a business,” he said. “At the same time it is considered a community service with a financial return.”
The shelter is a constantly changing environment, he added, “because a large part of the park is for rescued animals such as lions, hyenas and owls, so we do not know what we will find on our doorstep tomorrow.”
He said that the National Center for the Development of Wildlife is the main Saudi governmental organization responsible for animal welfare issues and is doing good work caring for exotic animals.
“That is why we urge people to talk with them first,” he added.
Within this official framework DJ Kennels is determined to provide whatever help it can, and Azzam explained how he happened to end up caring for a lion.

FASTFACTS

• DJ Kennels, which was established in Jeddah in 2017, is an animal shelter that provides a home for abandoned pets and even rescued wild animals. The residents of this mini wildlife park include dogs, cats, rabbits, owls, hyenas and even a lion.

• Pet therapy is just one of the services provided by DJ Kennels. It also handles animal adoptions, a pet hotel, volunteering opportunities and animal rescue services, among others.

• They also take in pets whose owners can no longer care for them, and train them if required so that they can be put up for adoption.

“He was (unfortunately) bought illegally but the owner felt guilty and decided to put him here,” he said. “He contacted us to help the cub. Its health condition was very bad; he couldn’t walk and was eating poorly. We decided to send him to a reserve in Africa but then the pandemic happened and flights were grounded. Luckily flights have now resumed and we are working with the authorities on transport procedures.”
Other unusual residents at the shelter include two owls.
“One of them was caught in the wild and the other one was bought illegally,” said Azzam. “They cannot be released back into the wild because they both have permanent disabilities. So we have tried to create a similar environment for them to live in here.
Azzam’s 10-year-old daughter Jumana said she shares her father’s love of animals, and that it began at the tender age of two.
“I owned a dog at the time,” she said. “We have had horses and camels at DJ Kennels but they were sent to stables. I hope the horses will come back. I also told my dad that it would be nice to have colorful parrots in the park.”
Shahd Ali, a visitor at the shelter, told Arab News that she goes there regularly with her siblings “because they love interacting with animals and I think it is difficult to find a place that provides these services in Jeddah. I hope there is more diversity of animals and more organizations.”
Azzam said that when he decided to open the refuge up to visitors, he was mindful that studies have shown that interacting with animals can have beneficial effects on many people, especially those with special needs, including autism.
“A child with autism attracts the animal’s attention,” he explained. “Especially dogs, because dogs have the advantage that they know how to deal with autistic patients.”

(AN Photo/Huda Bashatah)
Azzam added that patients should check first with their care providers whether it is safe for them to interact with animals but more often than not, he said, specialists recommend a visit as a form of therapy that can help people with autism. The service is free for people with special needs.
Though the shelter echoes to the sound of the delighted squealing of children, the happy yapping of dogs and the contented purring of cats, the stories of the animals cared for by DJ Kennels are often tinged with sadness.
Some people simply abandon their pets, said Azzam. The shelter takes them in and, if necessary, trains them to socialize and trust humans again so that they can be put up for adoption and find a new forever home. Because the pets have already been through one trauma when they were abandoned, DJ Kennels carefully assesses and thoroughly vets potential adopters before agreeing to hand over an animal.
“We provide full-course dog-training services, and as for adopting dogs, we give the dogs social classes to make sure they are harmless to its new owner,” said Azzam. “We only give the animal to a person who is capable of owning a dog after an analysis of the adopter’s living conditions.”
Owning an animal shelter such as DJ Kennels might seem like a great job from the outside, but it requires a lot of time and effort from the owners and staff to keep it running. In addition, such shelters are not lucrative businesses, and the income is not enough to cover veterinary bills, Azzam said, but he hopes that might change in the future.
He also called on volunteers to join his team, given that one of the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 is to spread awareness of volunteering and increase the number of volunteers in the country to 1 million by 2030.
“Many young people in the community have knowledge, time and effort to give, especially young people who are full of energy, and we’re not fully benefiting from them,” said Azzam.
Though the traditional view among many in the region was that ownership of dogs is prohibited because they some religious texts describe them as unclean, attitudes are slowly changing.
“I believe in different opinions and I advise people who think that dogs are unclean to look at different approved religious and legal opinions,” Azzam said. “People are enemies to what they don’t know. With more shelters and businesses such as ours, people have begun to learn about animals and accept them more.”


Saudi leaders congratulate Karol Nawrocki on winning Poland’s presidential elections

Updated 03 June 2025
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Saudi leaders congratulate Karol Nawrocki on winning Poland’s presidential elections

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman each sent a cable of congratulations to Karol Nawrocki after winning Poland’s presidential elections on Monday.

The King and Crown Prince wished the president success in his duties and the Polish people further progress and prosperity, the Saudi Press Agency said.

Nawrocki won 50.89% of votes in a very tight race against Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, who received 49.11%.


Drones delivering Hajj medicine years in the making, health minister tells Arab News

Updated 28 min 38 sec ago
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Drones delivering Hajj medicine years in the making, health minister tells Arab News

  • Delivery cut from 90 to 6 minutes, says Fahad AlJalajel
  • Drones will operate in Mina, Muzdalifah, Mount Arafat

MAKKAH: A new service transporting medicine with drones during Hajj is a result of two years of intensive studies and experiments, Saudi Arabia’s Health Minister Fahad AlJalajel told Arab News on Monday.

“This modern technology aims to deliver medicines on a large scale during the Hajj season while reducing the time required to deliver medical supplies to just six minutes, compared to 90 minutes using ground transportation,” AlJalajel said.

The service will bypass congestion at the holy sites, where nearly 1.25 million pilgrims will gather during the Hajj, a key pillar of Islam, which runs from June 4 to 9.

AlJalajel said trials over the past two years tested for safe takeoff and landing, as well as high temperatures. The drones are equipped with cooling systems, he said.

The drone initiative is a part of the comprehensive healthcare transformation taking place in the Kingdom, under the Saudi Vision 2030 program.

“One of the most notable achievements of this transformation is the establishment of the Seha Virtual Hospital, the largest in the world according to the Guinness World Records,” said AlJalajel.

The virtual hospital, which is linked to the Kingdom’s Sehaty health app, serves more than 200 hospitals, and is accessible to all individuals in Saudi Arabia.

“The Kingdom is applying advanced technologies in the fields of robotic surgery, stroke management, and the use of artificial intelligence in health services, reflecting the serious trend towards digitizing the health sector,” AlJalajel said.

These experiences, the minister said, have become a source of inspiration and learning for many countries around the world.

The Health Ministry would continue to anticipate global challenges and provide pioneering and appropriate solutions, AlJalajel said.


4,900 train journeys and 2m passengers expected on holy sites metro over 7 days of Hajj

Updated 02 June 2025
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4,900 train journeys and 2m passengers expected on holy sites metro over 7 days of Hajj

  • 3,314 flights from 238 destinations in 71 countries have arrived in the Kingdom so far ahead of the annual pilgrimage, transport officials
  • Vehicles equipped with AI scan 7,400km of Kingdom’s roads to help improve safety and ensure necessary maintenance is carried out

RIYADH: Trains on the Al-Mashaaer Al-Mugaddassah Metro Line are expected to complete a total of 4,900 journeys, carrying up to 2 million passengers, in the space of just seven days during Hajj.

The metro, known in English as the Sacred Sites Train Line, is a high-capacity rail system in Makkah that operates for only seven days a year, during Hajj, as a shuttle service to take pilgrims to and from holy sites.

Offering insights on Monday into the transportation systems that will serve pilgrims, Saleh Al-Zuwaid, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport and Logistic Services, said comprehensive preparations have been taking place ahead of the annual pilgrimage across all travel sectors, including air, land, sea and logistics.

The spokespersons reaffirmed their commitment to providing the best possible services and encouraged pilgrims to adhere to official guidelines designed to enhance their experiences and ensure their safety. (Supplied)

“So far, 3,314 flights from 238 destinations in 71 countries, via 62 air carriers, have arrived in the Kingdom,” he said.

There has been a 75 percent increase in the number of trips on Haramain High Speed Railway, compared with last year, he added, and a “Hajj without Luggage” initiative allows pilgrims arriving in Saudi Arabia to travel to Makkah by train while their luggage is transported separately for convenience.

In addition, more than 25,000 buses have been provided to ensure the safe and comfortable movement of pilgrims, backed by an extensive inspections process, he said.

The latest technology, including artificial intelligence, is also being deployed to enhance transportation, Al-Zuwaid said. A fleet of vehicles equipped with AI is scanning the Kingdom’s roads, from arrival ports to the holy sites, to help improve safety and ensure necessary maintenance is carried out. This year, these advanced technologies have helped to maintain 7,400 kilometers of roads leading to the holy sites.

Detailing advances in digital infrastructure, Saad Al-Shanbari, a spokesperson for Hajj communications and technology, said that 4G and 5G coverage in Makkah, Madinah and at the holy sites now exceeds 99 percent, with significant increases in internet speeds.

More than 10,500 Wi-Fi access points have been installed to enrich the digital experience for pilgrims, he added, and AI-powered crowd-management and specialized communication systems have been implemented in collaboration with Aramco Digital, to help ensure a reliable digital experience throughout Hajj season.

The spokespersons reaffirmed their commitment to providing the best possible services and encouraged pilgrims to adhere to official guidelines designed to enhance their experiences and ensure their safety.

Hajj begins on Wednesday, June 4, and will continue until Monday, June 9.

 


Saudi foreign minister discusses regional developments with US counterpart

Updated 02 June 2025
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Saudi foreign minister discusses regional developments with US counterpart

  • Phone call on Monday with Marco Rubio

RIYADH: Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Kingdom’s foreign minister, discussed the latest regional developments in a phone call on Monday with the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The minister focused on Saudi-American ties, the strategic partnership, and international issues, the Saudi Press Agency reported.


Drama therapy workshop in Jeddah explores healing power of expression

Psychologist Lujain Faqerah and actor Abdul Al-Shareef, center, with attendees at the drama therapy workshop in Jeddah.
Updated 02 June 2025
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Drama therapy workshop in Jeddah explores healing power of expression

  • Faqerah told Arab News: “Drama is integrated naturally in our daily responses and situations

JEDDAH: A drama therapy workshop was recently organized under the theme: “In drama we find the power to express, and in expression we find the power to heal,” at Cinema Al-Balad in Jeddah.

Led by Lujain Faqerah, senior psychologist and creative arts supervisor, in collaboration with actor and screenwriter Abdul Al-Shareef, the workshop explored the use of drama therapy in daily life and creative work.

Participants, including therapists, creatives, and others, learned how drama can support emotional awareness, healing, and connection.

The workshop showed how drama-based therapeutic techniques can help people access unconscious behaviors, foster self-expression, and improve creative practices such as screenwriting and acting.

Faqerah told Arab News: “Drama is integrated naturally in our daily responses and situations. In a therapeutic setting, it helps us observe these interactions and reflect on a deeper level of our unconscious body gestures and movements that might reveal a lot about our personalities.”

She made it clear that drama therapy is not about performing but about expressing what lies beneath — emotions, memories, or internal conflicts.

Faqerah said: “The word drama has a negative connotation to the extent that people reject it before trying. Drama therapy does not depend on acting skills or previous experience, but more on your self-expression and the challenges you experience.”

Her discovery of drama therapy was transformative. “It surprised me with the appearance of a hidden part of me that is more bold and confident. When this part emerged and I saw the benefits myself, I started incorporating it in my profession.”

Al-Shareef brought a creative perspective as an actor and screenwriter new to drama therapy but interested in its techniques.

“As an actor and a writer, I found this experiment with drama supervision and therapy fascinating. It’s a tool that I am willing to explore and learn more about to enhance my life and practice,” he said.

“Some people may think drama therapy is exclusively for artists, but it’s not. The techniques can be integrated into everyday routines, varying from person to person depending on their challenges.”