Images of young Omani Jeep drivers rescuing goats trapped in Wadi Fanja went viral on Monday with countless retweets.
Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA) had warned against cross wadis during rains, and these messages naturally implied that livestock are to be locked in safe places as well. “This is a sheer act of recklessness not that of bravery. It’s risky. Those drivers were risking their lives, which need to be noted,” tweeted Yaarob Salim. “In olden days, Ibri used to receive more rain than now. We used to lock our cows and goats in the barns. Sometimes barns would get damaged in rains.
In that case we just kept them inside in rooms,” recalled Shahla al Mazroui, a mother in her seventies. “Before the TV era, rain would surprise us at times. But we always took precautions whenever we saw clouds formations. We wouldn’t risk our lives saving a cow unless we saw that we really could save it. A human life is more precious,” she said. Sultan Al Jardani said, “I’m sorry to say that this is rash. It is the job of authorities to rescue others and they are available during emergencies.” A hashtag called (Your Life More Important) has been also trending on sites like twitter warning villagers and citizens not to take risky decisions like crossing wadis.
Source: OmanObserver