A Kuwaiti man died after his car crashed into a stray camel in Saudi Arabia, according to media reports. The animal hit the man’s car on a road near Buraidah city in central Saudi Arabia, resulting in his death. He was later buried in Buraidah in the Al Qassim region, some 400km from Riyadh.
It was not clear how old the victim was, or if he was a visitor to the kingdom.
Increased Measures to Curb Stray Camel Incidents
In recent years, Saudi authorities have stepped up measures to curb the danger posed by stray animals to motorists. Authorities have urged owners of camels in the kingdom to register them, saying that undocumented camels are not allowed to be sold, bought, or have their ownership transferred.
The Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture stated that under the law, failure to register camels makes their owners liable to penalties. Registering camels helps set up a database facilitating their sale and ownership transfer as well as providing information on their numbers, species, and geographical distribution. It also gives their owners access to various services.
Penalties for Non-Registration of Camels
The non-registration of camels and leaving them stray may cause fatal incidents on roads. This situation makes their owners liable to penalties when they attempt to sell them or transfer their ownership.
DNA Project for Documenting Camel Strains
Last year, Saudi Arabia started a project for documenting strains of camels using DNA tests to preserve rare species of the animal. Registration, conducted on an ad-hoc portal, entails different data on camels, including the DNA.
The Saudi Camel Club, which oversees the project, said each applicant among camel owners gets an ID card for the camel containing all related data. Documenting camels aims to preserve famous and rare species of camels by setting up a DNA-based database, the club added at the time.
The project aims to document all camels in the kingdom where they are a popular animal closely linked to heritage. The animal has long been dubbed the “ship of the desert,” being the lifeline for desert dwellers.
Economic Impact of Camels in Saudi Arabia
There are around 1.8 million camels with a market value of over SR50 billion in Saudi Arabia, according to official figures.
