A beast of burden turned the tables on a United States woman, giving her a load to bear when the camel sat on her and pinned her to the ground.
On the bright side — if there is one to such a situation — the woman in Bethlehem, West Virginia, had her cellphone in her hand at the time and called emergency responders to rescue her, said Jim Copenhaven, with the emergency centre in nearby Harrison, on Friday.
The woman, who authorities declined to identify, was painting the fence of the camel’s pen Wednesday when the nearly 700kg dromedary knocked her down and unceremoniously sat on her.
”The dispatcher tried for 12 to 15 minutes to calm the woman down,” Copenhaven said.
The town’s volunteer firefighters were alerted, and they righted the animal, which goes by the name of Punjab. The woman had trouble breathing, given the weight on her chest, but didn’t require hospitalisation.
The camel’s owner apologised, and the incident was resolved, Copenhaven said. — Sapa-DPA