A stray donkey whose head became stuck in a plastic chair was rescued by local residents in Ajman.
Salem Al Kaabi, 43, spotted the creature on Friday morning, while driving to his farm in Masfut, near Hatta.
He called some friends and family to help him free the animal.
“When the donkey saw us coming, she ran away and one of us followed her to the wadi and managed to catch her and we all jumped in to help,” said Mr Al Kaabi, an Emirati who works with the police.
Littering can harm many wild animals in the area such as birds, wild goats and hedgehogs plus the environment, which is totally unacceptable
Salem Al Kaabi
“Seeing the donkey with a chair around her neck and face was unpleasant but it did not occur to me that the chair would cause her severe injuries."
The chair had dug into the animal's snout and neck, breaking the skin beneath it.
About 10 people were involved in safely removing the chair from the donkey's neck and face.
“It wasn’t easy to take the chair out so we needed tools and more hands to keep the donkey still.”
He used a handsaw to cut the chair before noticing the deep cuts on the animal.
“I am familiar in dealing with animals as I raise livestock at my farm, so I asked one of the men to go to the veterinary clinic and grab a disinfectant wound spray for animals.”
Once the donkey was freed from the chair, Mr Al Kaabi disinfected her wounds and set her free.
“Our town is close to Hatta and many visitors come to the area during the weekend so I guess the chair was left behind by them,” he said.
“Municipality workers work hard to keep the area clean and people should avoid leaving rubbish behind.
“Littering can harm many wild animals in the area such as birds, wild goats and hedgehogs plus the environment, which is totally unacceptable,” he said.
Mr Al Kaabi is now searching for the injured donkey after an animal rescue centres offered to examine and treat her.
Ms Manal Al Mansoori, founder and director of Yanni Animal Welfare, said they planned to take the donkey to Zabeel Veterinary Hospital for treatment.
“I saw the video of the rescue yesterday and immediately started searching for Mr Al Kaabi,” said Ms Al Mansoori.
“The donkey appeared to have deep injuries and needed medical assistance so I asked him to try and locate the animal."
“She is probably hiding due to her pain and we need to find her before his condition becomes worse.
“Her treatment might cost between Dh7,000 to Dh8,000 and we are willing to cover it with the help of the volunteers and the community, but we have to find her before she gets blood poisoning due to her wounds,” she said.
Ms Al Mansoori called on the public not to litter to protect the environment and its inhabitants.
“We receive many cases of stray cats with deep cuts due to the unsafe disposal of sharp objects and old furniture,” she said.
“Litter left behind after picnicking or camping can also harm the wildlife and environment and everyone should be held accountable.”