Distressed camels rescued from muddy trap
The owner of four camels was at his wits' end by the time neighbours jumped in to help.
Heavy rains in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has meant that residents have had to deal with very muddy conditions. It seems farmers and animals are among the most severely affected, as four camels recently had to be rescued after they fell into muddy ditches.
The owner of the camels, who were malnourished and dehydrated, alerted police to the fate of the animals after he was unable to pull them out of the ditch. They had been stuck for more than 11 hours before a rescue effort was made.
Eight men used ropes and large planks to pull the camels out, first pulling the exposed parts of the animal's body out of the ditch before dragging it out with a rope. Fortunately, the camels were able to walk as soon as their legs were freed.
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The rescue operation went on for four hours; it was raining and the men were sinking into the mud themselves.
The rescuers arrived just in time: if the camels had died, that would have meant a £5,500 (over R95,000) loss for the owner.