What Dogs are in the Western world, so Camels are in the Arab world.
So imagine the shivers going through strong men, from Baghdad to Cairo, after scientists have warned that a virus passed by camels, could cause a pandemic in the human population.
The illness 'Middle East Respiratory Syndrome' (MERS) causes camels to have what is effectively a heavy cold, but doesn't threaten the animals life. However when passed to humans, it can cause a fatal lung disease which kills up to a third of all victims.
It is passed to humans through close contact with camels, so most of us are not likely to catch it that way. But it can also be transmitted via camel products such as milk, or leather goods, which is slightly more concerning for tourists to that part of the world. Mutations could make it more dangerous than it currently is, as the scientists have seen increased resistance by the virus to current treatments.
But dogs can be even more deadly as pets. In June 2017, Derek Meade a millionaire farmer was killed when his dog apparently stepped on the controls of his tractor, and it rolled towards him, crushing him to death against a gate. This set me thinking as I had heard this sort of Shaggy Dog story before .... Sure enough after a bit of digging ....
In June 2008 it was reported that a Scottish farmer was crushed to death by his tractor when his pet dog pushed the driver lever in the cab. Harry Emslie died after the bucket loader of his tractor pinned him against the wall of a barn at his farm in Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire.
A man died four-and-a-half months after he was crushed trying to stop his dog, Rolo, mating with another dog an inquest has heard. Tony Drew, 64, lost his balance and fell off a trailer trying to restrain his excitable cocker spaniel, while on a shoot in Clayhidon, Devon, in 2016.
A 65-year-old self-employed farmer was pinned against a wall by a telehandler bucket. He was working alone in the barn using the telehandler fitted with a bucket, to remove animal feed stored against a wall. It would appear that the bucket could not pick up any more of the feed, so he got out of the vehicle to clear the last of it with a shovel. The handbrake was not applied, and his dog was left inside the cab. He was standing between the bucket blade and the wall when the vehicle moved forward after his dog apparently knocked the controls.
Delays were caused on a busy stretch of the M74 motorway after reports of a dog "taking control of a tractor" ...... Police and the farmer later recovered Don the sheep dog (who was unhurt), and the vehicle from the central reservation of the motorway.
But despite this carnage that dogs and tractors create, there are always some idiots ....
In County Down, Northern Ireland, a farmer lets his golden retriever Rambo 'drive' his ploughs, mowers or tractors. All well and good, until that day when suddenly its not.
Update: I just found out that Camel in Arabic is related to their word for beauty i.e. The Arabic word for beauty is “jamaal” which is taken from “jml” the root that means camel. The English word camel derives from Latin, camelus ... however that must have come from the Arabic pronunciation.
I cant really add to that but the old joke:
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| Dogs And Camels Are Dangerous Friends .... |
So imagine the shivers going through strong men, from Baghdad to Cairo, after scientists have warned that a virus passed by camels, could cause a pandemic in the human population.
The illness 'Middle East Respiratory Syndrome' (MERS) causes camels to have what is effectively a heavy cold, but doesn't threaten the animals life. However when passed to humans, it can cause a fatal lung disease which kills up to a third of all victims.
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| How To Catch (MERS) .... High Risk Behaviour |
It is passed to humans through close contact with camels, so most of us are not likely to catch it that way. But it can also be transmitted via camel products such as milk, or leather goods, which is slightly more concerning for tourists to that part of the world. Mutations could make it more dangerous than it currently is, as the scientists have seen increased resistance by the virus to current treatments.
But dogs can be even more deadly as pets. In June 2017, Derek Meade a millionaire farmer was killed when his dog apparently stepped on the controls of his tractor, and it rolled towards him, crushing him to death against a gate. This set me thinking as I had heard this sort of Shaggy Dog story before .... Sure enough after a bit of digging ....
In June 2008 it was reported that a Scottish farmer was crushed to death by his tractor when his pet dog pushed the driver lever in the cab. Harry Emslie died after the bucket loader of his tractor pinned him against the wall of a barn at his farm in Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire.
A man died four-and-a-half months after he was crushed trying to stop his dog, Rolo, mating with another dog an inquest has heard. Tony Drew, 64, lost his balance and fell off a trailer trying to restrain his excitable cocker spaniel, while on a shoot in Clayhidon, Devon, in 2016.
A 65-year-old self-employed farmer was pinned against a wall by a telehandler bucket. He was working alone in the barn using the telehandler fitted with a bucket, to remove animal feed stored against a wall. It would appear that the bucket could not pick up any more of the feed, so he got out of the vehicle to clear the last of it with a shovel. The handbrake was not applied, and his dog was left inside the cab. He was standing between the bucket blade and the wall when the vehicle moved forward after his dog apparently knocked the controls.
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| Don The Sheepdog - Driver Extraordinaire .... |
Delays were caused on a busy stretch of the M74 motorway after reports of a dog "taking control of a tractor" ...... Police and the farmer later recovered Don the sheep dog (who was unhurt), and the vehicle from the central reservation of the motorway.
But despite this carnage that dogs and tractors create, there are always some idiots ....
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| Rambo Was A Patient Dog ... One Day, One Day, He Thought. |
In County Down, Northern Ireland, a farmer lets his golden retriever Rambo 'drive' his ploughs, mowers or tractors. All well and good, until that day when suddenly its not.
Update: I just found out that Camel in Arabic is related to their word for beauty i.e. The Arabic word for beauty is “jamaal” which is taken from “jml” the root that means camel. The English word camel derives from Latin, camelus ... however that must have come from the Arabic pronunciation.
I cant really add to that but the old joke:
Every Arabic word has a basic meaning, a second meaning which is the exact opposite of the first, a third meaning which refers to either a camel or horse, and a fourth meaning that is so obscene that you'll have to look it up for yourself.
Talk about treating your animals as if they're part of the family ! I really don't like to see owners kissing their pets - especially on the mouth!? and this aversion was not helped when I heard that this Wisconsin guy lost all his limbs after his dog licked his face.
ReplyDeleteHowever unless stats have changed I believe that horses are the biggest killers - tractor driving mutts have a lo-ong way to go.
People have a habit of treating pets as part of the family .... 'furry children'. but to be fair 99.9999% of times it doesn't hurt the humans, or the pets (well apart from overweight cats and dogs dying early).
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