Three camels broke free from a visiting circus to go for a stroll along a busy dual-carriageway in the mid-west yesterday.
Motorists looked on in amazement as the animals loped along the verge of the extremely busy Limerick to Ennis road at dawn yesterday.
"It was like something out of Lawrence of Arabia, except that it was on the outskirts of Limerick and not in the middle of the Sahara Desert," said one shocked motorist.
The three camels, named Brutus, Sheikh and Sahara, form part of the Daredevil Circus and Stunt Show.
They managed to escape overnight from a field where they had been camped, and surprised motorists who spotted the exotic animals grazing at the side of the dual-carriageway shortly after 7.30 a.m. yesterday.
AA Roadwatch put out an early morning alert to motorists and road-users after it was inundated with calls and texts from passing drivers.
Circus staff were alerted, and handlers assisted by gardaí were quickly at the scene to round up the stray animals.
"I suppose it's a question of far away grass being greener. Camels can be very inquisitive animals," said a circus spokesman.
The Bactrian camels - which have two humps - form part of the Daredevil Circus and Stunt Show which is currently based in the outskirts of Limerick.
The animals are believed to originally come from Baktria, on the Oxus river in northern Afghanistan.
Fortunately, none of the animals was harmed, and last night they were safely back at their camp at the Two Mile Inn near Limerick.