Wild camel sparks chaos in central Israel city, evades capture

A runaway camel turned heads in central Israel, casually strolling past stunned pedestrians and baffled vets.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

A wild camel trotting through the streets of a city in central Israel caused a stir on Tuesday, as municipal veterinarians tried and failed to capture the animal.

Videos circulating on social media showed the camel calmly walking through Rosh HaAyin’s industrial park, as motorists drove around the animal and stunned pedestrians stared.

“Suddenly, we saw a camel running outside our office,” Maayan, who was identified only by her first name, told Hebrew-language media outlet Channel 12 News.

“We were shocked; on the one hand, it was funny, but on the other hand, it was really dangerous.”

While camel sightings are common in Israel’s southern Negev desert, the dromedaries are not typically seen in central Israel.

“The municipal veterinary service rushed to the scene and tried to persuade the camel to cooperate, but, being a camel, he had other plans,” the Rosh HaAyin municipality posted on social media.

According to witnesses, after evading capture, the camel returned to the neighboring Arab city of Kfar Kassem. The camel’s owner is believed to live there.

In a separate incident on Tuesday, police rescued several exotic animals from a suspected criminal’s home.

During a police raid, officers found a wild lemur, which originated in Madagascar, that was being kept in poor conditions in the Netanya suburb of Even Yehuda.

Several exotic iguanas were also found in the house.

“This is the first time in Israel that we have found a lemur in a private home. It is a very sensitive animal that cannot be kept [as a pet] by private citizens,” Uri Laniel, a senior official from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, said in a media statement.

“This is a serious case of animal abuse. The poor lemur was kept in isolation and was given food that was not suitable for it. Its health is not good.”

The lemur will be transferred to a wildlife sanctuary for rehabilitation.