JEDDAH, 2 September 2003 — The Jeddah municipality has begun confiscating beach buggies and animals that have been available illegally for rent along the Corniche. In the first raid, the municipality seized 10 horses on the Corniche and handed them over to the local zoo.
In other parts of Jeddah, laws were put into effect to prevent the rental of these animals and motorcycles which have been annoying local beachgoers and residents.
“The noise is quite awful. We hear it beginning in the early evening and it goes on until late at night. There are always animal droppings everywhere and it smells bad. Sometimes the kids carry them into the car,” Mervat Abdel Hadi, 47, an Egyptian beachgoer, told Arab News. “I am thrilled, but they should have done this at the beginning of the summer, not now,” she added.
Authorities downtown banned people from renting horses or four-wheel cycles in the western Bughdadia area. Horses gathered in enclosures there were drawing complaints from local residents. Seven horses were seized and also handed over to the local zoo.
A policeman along the Corniche told Arab News: “We’ve given them plenty of warning but they don’t listen. By confiscating the animals and the cycles we are sending them a message.”
But the move has received mixed reactions from community members. On the one hand, several people were pleased at what they called “cleaning up the neighborhood.” But others are against the confiscations. “They are cutting off these people’s livelihood. They should be compensated for each horse that was given to the zoo,” said Sami Saad, 15.
