A residential villa in Qalali, Muharraq, has been transformed into a bustling, four-legged fortress.
While the sirens of the current emergency echo through the kingdom, 27-year-old Mariah Watters is waging a different kind of campaign; one fuelled by a mother’s instinct and an iron-clad resolve to ensure no pet is left behind.
Originally from Peterborough, Ontario, in Canada, Mariah arrived in Bahrain in 2024. A former teacher by trade, she might have expected a quiet expat life. Instead, she was met with what she describes as an ‘epidemic’ of abandoned animals. It was a sight that quite literally kept her awake at night.
“I moved to Bahrain and immediately noticed the sheer volume of strays and abandoned pets,” Ms Watters told the GDN, her voice a mix of Canadian grit and local devotion.
“My heart broke, and I simply couldn’t sleep until I could do something about it.”
What began as a modest fostering operation in a cramped apartment has, by necessity, evolved into a sophisticated home-based rescue. Moving to a larger villa with her family in 2025 provided the space Mariah needed to scale up her mission. Today, the property houses three dedicated ‘cat rooms’ and a specialised area for dogs.
However, the mission shifted from routine rescue to emergency evacuation last month. As families began to flee unsafe areas, Mariah didn’t hesitate to open her doors to the pets left in the lurch.
The scale of the operation is staggering. Mariah is currently caring for 49 cats and 10 dogs evacuated from high-risk zones, with another wave of arrivals expected next week. Despite the mounting costs and the physical toll, she is adamant that help must remain accessible.
“Our emergency shelter is free for those evacuating areas that have been hit,” Ms Watters confirmed. “I wanted to give owners an option to be responsible and the pets the option to stay off the streets and out of harm’s way.”
The logistical weight of such an undertaking would crush many, but Mariah credits a trinity of support for keeping her afloat. “Truly, I could not do this without three things,” she says. “Allah SWT, who carries me through each day and guides me to help; my husband, who supports me and provides financially for the pets in trouble; and the community support. Without those, these rescues would truly suffer.”
To ensure the safety of the animals already in her care, she is requesting that those in need of space provide a full dossier for their pets: personality traits, neuter status, microchip details and vaccination history. Owners must also provide their evacuation details, contact numbers and CPR or passport identification.
“We ask that all owners responsibly take their pets back once the emergency stops and they are residing in Bahrain,” she adds, emphasising that her villa is a temporary haven, not a permanent dumping ground.
Mariah’s only wish remains simple and poignant: that other shelters follow her lead, and that the dozens of cats and dogs currently occupying her home will soon be reunited with the families who were forced to leave them behind.
For those needing help or wishing to contribute to the mounting feed and medical bills, Ms Watters can be reached at maystraysrescue@gmail.com or via the Facebook page Mays Strays Home Rescue and Adoption Bahrain.
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