In the Persian Gulf, big cats are considered a symbol of a higher social status and wealth. So, guys use these felines to impress girls and to showcase their affluence.
Although trading of big cats is not allowed in the United Arab Emirates, not all of them are illegal. Owners have to process important documents to make ownership legit.
Jasim Ali of the Ras Al Khaimah Wildlife Park explained to CNN, “If someone buys a very expensive animal, he is boasting that he has enough money to get anything he wants. If he has a tamed wild animal like a lion, he is trying to show off that he is brave. But, this is not courage; this is animal rights abuse”.
Last 2013, a resident of Dubai named Humaid Abdalla AlBuQaish became temporarily famous on the Internet. Not only did he share photos of his super cars on his Instagram account, he also posted photos of himself, along with his wild animal friends, such as tigers, lions, hyena cubs, and monkeys.
The best part of it is that he actually loves his animal friends. He doesn’t just tame them, but also gives them hugs and stretches over them.
Now, he is already an Instagram celebrity with over 794,000 followers. The photos below will answer why he has amassed such great number of following:
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Humaid isn’t the only guy from the Middle East who is sharing photos of big cats on Instagram. Dubbed as the “Kuwaiti Lion King of Instagram”, Swakll boasts more than 284,000 followers on his social media account.
He has shared photos of him, his Lamborghini, and his liger, a hybrid of a lion and a tiger. He also posted photos of him with his other exotic friends, lion cubs and tigers, playing and running around at home.
So. if you want to become famous on Instagram, maybe it is no longer enough to share “selfies” or post photos of delicious food. It is time for you to take things to another level and flaunt photos of you and your exotic pets. Who knows, one day, you might become Internet celebrities like Humaid and Swakll.
Meet other wealthy individuals whose status in life is defined by the pets that they own.