Manar Elbaz

ABU DHABI: Similar to Japan, the GCC has adopted the trend of pet cafes, where visitors pay a certain fee to spend time with animals. 

While this concept started with cat cafes, it has evolved to include a variety of animals, such as owls. 32-year-old engineer Mohamed Al Shehhi and his partners Abdulla Al Hammadi and Ahmed Al Mansoori were fascinated by owl cafes in Japan, which led them to open one in Abu Dhabi.

Al Shehhi, who visited Japan nine times, started by having owl pets in his house in 2016. “There is a superstitious idea of owls being raised (as pets) in the Arab region, but I was able to change my parents’ ideas when I started raising them,” he told Arab News Japan. 

“Over time, I started thinking, “How can I adopt this idea and bring it to the Middle East?”. I found a spot that I rented and separated the two spaces, one for food and drinks while the other one is for interacting physically with the owls.” 

The cafe offers two full-time owl caregivers to make sure that the owls are being taken care of. The caregivers also offer the tour to guests, providing them with a variety of information about the owls and how each specific one likes to be petted. 

One of the owls that visitors encounter during their visit is Shaikha, who was the first pet owl that Al Shehhi got in 2016. “I felt like she would be bored by herself at home because I work in the energy sector, so I leave home for two weeks,” he said. 

“I got another owl and placed them together. I knew the owls weren’t satisfied because they wanted human interaction, which was another factor in opening the cafe,” he added.  

Located at Al Seef Village Mall, the cafe opens from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. From 10 p.m. onwards, the owls eat, rest up, and sometimes go on walks with the caregivers. 

The cafe is also offering eco-friendly merchandise with owls on it, further engaging visitors in the experience while promoting sustainability.