A stray kitten wandering into Abu Dhabi traffic found an unlikely saviour in Zubair Anwar Muhammad Anwar, a 29-year-old Talabat delivery rider who spotted the animal sheltering beneath a jeep on Al Falah Street and acted before the light turned green. The viral video of the rescue, filmed without Anwar's knowledge, quickly spread across social platforms and turned the quietly humble rider into a UAE internet hero.
The Kitten Rescue on Al Falah Street
The incident happened on Al Falah Street, in front of Al Manhal Palace, Abu Dhabi, during midday heat. A stray kitten had wandered into the road and stopped under a jeep, leaving it stranded as vehicles lined up at a red light.
"The traffic signal was red and I noticed the kitten crossed and stopped under a jeep," Anwar recounted. "I looked around and within five seconds I exited from my motorbike, picked the kitten and put it on the side of the road so that cars do not run it over."
Anwar was on his way to a delivery and had no idea anyone was recording the moment. "When I picked the cat I did not know someone was recording the event," he said.
Who Is Zubair Anwar?
Anwar has been a delivery rider in Abu Dhabi for five years and lives in the Tourist Club Area. Originally from Gujranwala, Pakistan, he was on Eid Al Adha holiday at home when media coverage found him. The 29-year-old says he loves animals even though he does not own any, and he has a clean record — no traffic violations in five years of riding the city's roads.
The rescue took place shortly before he departed for the Eid break, during the punishing midday heat that delivery riders in the UAE navigate every summer.
A Pattern of Kindness Among UAE Delivery Riders
This is far from the first time UAE delivery riders have stepped up for animals in distress. Earlier in 2024, three riders helped pacify a frightened horse that had bolted onto Umm Suqeim Street in Dubai. In July 2022, a separate group of riders came to the rescue of a kitten trapped inside a parked car's engine compartment — that video also went viral.
Anwar's swift, instinctive action on Al Falah Street is the latest example of the everyday compassion shown by delivery riders across the UAE — workers who spend long hours on city roads and often become its most attentive witnesses.
