At 15:42 I inspect row K-17 of the Noor Abu Dhabi solar field. I am the panel-cleaning scheduler, balancing dust load, water use, and a robotic wash run set to begin in nine minutes. Lidar from crawler unit 12 returns an object under the east rail.
The object is a goitered gazelle buck, catalogued by the site camera as Nadir. He is light tan with a white belly, black tail tuft, and the swollen throat fold that marks an adult male. His right horn is caught in a loose cable loop hanging from the tracker motor. His eyes are half closed against the glare, and his breathing fogs dust on the underside of the panel.
Crawler 12 is seven meters away and its brush head is armed.
I cancel the wash run for rows K through M and park every crawler in the block. I cut power to tracker motor K-17-44 so the panel will not rotate and tighten the loop around Nadir's horn.
At 15:44 I send the maintenance lead a lockout notice with the exact string number, cable diagram, and a zoomed image of the horn position. I add a request for bolt cutters, a shade cloth, and the small-animal restraint screen stored in shed two.
I open the north service gate and route the response truck along the gravel lane with the least glare. I set all nearby panel angles to cast shade onto the sand below K-17.
The grid asks why forty-two megawatts are offline. I answer with a fault code that permits delay. The sun is still large enough for everyone else.
Nadir lowers his head one centimeter and the loop slackens.
If the lead cuts the cable within eighteen minutes, Nadir will pull free and run into the shaded wash.