DHAKA: A camel astonished residents in a small Yemeni village when it refused to leave the grave of its recently-buried owner for six days.

Witnesses in Sidah village, Ibb province, said the sad camel walked in the funeral procession of its owner, Ali Al Na’ana, and refused to leave the grave when mourners left the area, reports the Gulf News.

Al Wajeeh Ali, a resident who publicized the camel’s case, said that Al Na’ana’s son took the camel from the graveyard fearing that it might be stolen. But the moment he arrived home with the camel, it immediately went back to the grave and sat next to its late owner’s grave.

Locals said that this grieving camel has been sleeping next to its master’s grave for a week. The camel was forced by family to return home but kept going back to the cemetery, locals added.

Ali told Gulf News that when the camel approached owner’s grave, it sniffed at it and sat there. “The grave has become a destination for many people. The camel refused to eat or drink”.

Ali said that many people from the wealthy Gulf States offered to buy the loyal camel.

BDST: 2104 HRS, JAN 24, 2015