Arab World Seems Prepared to Scuttle ‘Ships of the Desert’
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MANAMA, Bahrain — Oil wealth and Western technology have now made camels, the traditional “ships of the desert,” not only unnecessary but unwanted in parts of the Persian Gulf, a United Arab Emirates newspaper said Tuesday.
The Dubai-based Gulf News said residents on the edge of the Emirates desert, where camels were once essential for survival, now consider the beasts a nuisance.
“Camels have long been a problem in the village (of Jebel Ali), but in recent months the anger of residents has been growing as raids by camel herds have continued,” the daily said.
It said hungry camels were “wandering through the village every night, leaving a trail of destruction behind them.”
The newspaper also reported on the plight of camels injured in road accidents, saying that, in one such case, an injured camel was slowly dying on the village green. More camels are roaming loose, it said, because Western technology and higher living standards have made them obsolete as a mode of transportation.
Emirates officials said that while hungry, wandering camels remain a problem, it does not mean the animals are completely unappreciated.
“We love to watch the camel races,” one official said.
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