4 Emiratis escape after 4WD rams into stray donkey
ras al khaimah — Four young Emirati men, aged 20-28, had a narrow escape after the car they were travelling in rammed into a stray donkey that darted across Azan-Gheil Road in Ras Al Khaimah.
Mohammed Ibrahim, 27, who was at the wheel, told Khaleej Times that he was driving his four-wheel drive vehicle late on Saturday when he suddenly saw three stray animals on the two-lane road.
“I was driving at 100 to 120kmph speed. It was difficult to spot the grey and black donkeys that were crossing the road in the dark.”
Since there was a mountain on the right side of the road and a metal barrier on the left, Ibrahim could not avoid crashing into one of the donkeys, which died on the spot. “The other two donkeys melted into the darkness,” he said.
“Luckily, no one was injured in the accident due to the strong body of the SUV which was partially damaged.”
On being alerted about the accident around 9pm, the central operations room of the RAK Police swung into action and dispatched a traffic patrol, an ambulance, paramedics and a rescue team to the site.
“Initial enactment of the accident showed that the stray animals entered the road from an apparently broken fence on the roadside,” a police official said.
The animal care section of the department of public services in Ras Al Khaimah sent some experts to look for the two missing donkeys to prevent them from entering the road again.
Ibrahim said some people intentionally cut parts of the fence on the roadside to drive into the valley or mountain.
“Stray animals mostly find their way through these broken portions, while some others pass through the gates of these fences if they are left opened.”
Concern over animals on roads
Meanwhile, residents voiced their concerns over animals entering the roads and blamed them for several deadly accidents.
The authorities concerned have intensified inspection campaigns and seized hundreds of animals.
Ahmed Al Shehi, advisor to the department of public works, said the owners of these animals were forced to sign undertakings not to repeat the same violations.