In Israel, camels cause a growing number of car accidents at night. To prevent these deadly incidents, a Bedouin group started attaching glow-in-the-dark bands on the animals roaming along public highways.
The Nave Midbar regional council helped the group by providing glowing yellow bands, which are put on the camel's neck and front legs. "We tested the visibility at night on few camels wearing the glowing bands and the results were great," said council veterinarian Sliman El Sana.
With over 6,000 camels in the southern part of Israel, this effective approach could finally reduce car crash incidents in the region. "Our first priority is to save lives," he added.
NBC reports the most recent death happened in December 14, when father-of-three David Cohen hit a roaming camel on the drive home. He later died because of the injuries he sustained from the car crash.
The incident was then reported to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by a regional council chief, asking permission to shoot animals on site.
Now, with this clever and cheap solution, the chances of people or animals getting killed will be lower. Bedouins even volunteered to distribute these bands themselves to each of their camels.
"My camels roam freely at night and it is very hard to see them," said a local, Yusuf Ben Hamid. "I think the glowing bands will protect my camels from accidents."
In a desert country, with large animals like camels causing accidents, large signs in Hebrew and English are posted along highways, warning drivers to "beware of camels near the road."
Based on a research published in Israel Journal of Zoology, there have been 351 animal-related car accidents recorded from 1995 to 1999, with an average of one death for every 70 cases. The death toll continued to grow, amounting to 27 people in 2013 and 57 people in 2014.
This anti-accident act will make a big difference when widely used not only in Israel, but accross the Middle East as well.
