Ras Al Khaimah: An agitated stray camel created panic among residents of Rashid Public area in the northern part of Ras Al Khaimah.

Nobody could handle the animal which was running around wildly, residents said, adding that it must have come from nearby barns. The residents explained that the legs of the camels in the nearby barns are tied with chains which slow down the animals' movement, but this animal was free from any shackles.

People started shouting at the camel and throwing things at him which fuelled the its agitated state.

The residents said that it was rare to see stray animals in the internal roads of the emirate's areas, as the camels in particular can be dangerous in such conditions. The residents stressed that camels do differ from the cows, sheep and goats when stuck to the residential areas.

The surrounding camel barns have much stock which are trained for camel racing and competitions, but those barns lock their animals and do not let them go astray.

Rude awakening

The stray camel woke up many of the residents of the Rashid Public area, where people picked up their mobile phones and cameras to capture the moments of the agitated and lost animal.

Residents of the area lodged a complaint with the emirate's Municipality on the incident, stating that stray camels would be a real danger if not fully controlled.

A senior municipal official said that the emirate's Municipality has been fighting the phenomenon of the spread of the stray animals all over the emirate, but the owners of the barns have not been showing the necessary cooperation.

The official added that the emirate's Municipality has recently imposed a law to eliminate the stray animals in a phased manner.