Camel attacks and kills two at petting zoo in Tennessee

[malaise]

Poor camel was killed
They should have left him in his own natural surroundings
https://www.yahoo.com/news/loose-camel-attacks-kills-two-161203205.html


Two people are dead after a camel attack at a petting zoo in Tennessee, according to authorities.

The deadly incident occurred around 4:45 p.m. on Thursday, March 10, at Shirley Farms in Obion, Tennessee, the sheriff’s office announced in a news release.

Deputies responded to a call of a “loose” camel in the area and arrived to find “two unconscious victims on the ground.”

Both succumbed to their injuries and died at the scene, authorities said.

While trying to move one of the victims to EMS, deputies said the animal attacked an Obion Sheriff’s Office patrol car and then charged at the deputies.

“It was at this time officers had to put the camel down for the safety of everyone on scene,” the release states.

[canetoad]

1. What happened

To baby rabbits, lambs and goats in petting zoos? Camels are big, sometimes aggressive creatures. It should not have died because of idiots.

[malaise]

3. That's what pisses me off

A lot of humans disgust me

[Magoo48]

8. We have never believed our fellow creatures are just that: our fellow creatures-- no more, no less.

https://images.app.goo.gl/B8DN4fLQpFQyo3mo6

[pandr32]

6. +1

[milestogo]

4. Was he black?

"officers had to put the camel down"

[malaise]

13. Brow and that dominion over all things prevailed as always

[superpatriotman]

19. No -

Middle Eastern...

[TheProle]

25. As American as apple pie

Despite the fact that camels are popularly associated with the deserts of Asia and Africa, the family Camelidae, which comprises camels and llamas, originated in North America during the middle Eocene period, at least 44 Mya.

[exboyfil]

5. I wonder what gun they used

It seems like a 9mm would just anger the camel more unless you got real lucky. A AR15 is on the ragged edge of just stopping a deer (it is approved for hunting them in some places if chambered for a larger caliber). Buckshot in a 12 Gauge?

[Dial H For Hero]

12. I would guess the officer shot the camel from very close range. That being the case, one could

easily make a head shot. And the magazine would hold at least 14 more rounds, if necessary.

And in any case, they may well have gotten a long gun out of the patrol car.

[shrike3]

7. A camel at a petting zoo?

Whose brilliant idea was this?

[exboyfil]

11. At the zoo in Monroe LA for a time

They had giraffe viewing areas with fences that could easily be cleared by the necks of the giraffes. Never thought about it at the time when we visited, but later after watching how they fight felt fortunate that they didn't hurt my kids.

They also had a hippo in which you could literally stick your hand in its mouth if you wanted to. Even a kid was tall enough to put his hand through the grating.

They later did some upgrades to avoid these issues. Still think about. The hippo was a gentle beast that died a few years ago and was really missed, but it doesn't change the fact that it is a wild animal.

[shrike3]

24. I'm glad the hippo was gentle, but my lord.

They're capable of biting people in half.

Giraffes are beautiful creatures, but yes, they can be dangerous.

[IrishAfricanAmerican]

9. Sounds like...

it might have been one of those Joe Exotic type of places, unregulated and poorly managed.

[Dial H For Hero]

14. I visited a private animal zoo in Florida that specialized in lemurs, and they had a camel as well.

The lemurs I let climb on my shoulders. The camel....not so much.

[Effete Snob]

10. What are the "natural surroundings" of a camel?

Camels are domesticated animals, like cattle.

While there are some feral camels, these are principally descended from loose domesticated stock.

This is like wanting, say, basset hounds to be left in their "natural surroundings". There are no packs of wild basset hounds either because, like camels, they have been specifically bred as domestic animals.

[malaise]

23. Habitat: Camels typically live in deserts, where it is hot and dry.

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/blog/camel-fact-sheet/

[Effete Snob]

26. They can live in lots of places

They originated in North America, but are now a domesticated species with minor feral populations.

They are domesticated animals which are typically raised by people who live in those environments, because they can get by on very little water. But it is not as if they have any problem living in Tennessee any more than Arabian horses from which all thoroughbred horses are descended.

I don't see any reason to send domesticated horses to Arabia any more than confining llamas or alpacas (distant camel relatives) to South America.

The only truly wild camels live in the Gobi Desert.

The notion that deserts are always "hot" is incorrect, and in particular for the only wild camels in the Gobi, where:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gobi_Desert


The Gobi is overall a cold desert, with frost and occasionally snow occurring on its dunes. Besides being quite far north, it is also located on a plateau roughly 910–1,520 m (2,990–4,990 ft) above sea level, which contributes to its low temperatures. An average of about 194 mm (7.6 in) of rain falls annually in the Gobi. Additional moisture reaches parts of the Gobi in winter as snow is blown by the wind from the Siberian Steppes. These winds may cause the Gobi to reach −40 °C (−40 °F) in winter to 45 °C (113 °F) in summer.

However, the climate of the Gobi is one of great extremes, combined with rapid changes of temperature of as much as 35 °C (63 °F). These can occur not only seasonally but within 24 hours.


In southern Mongolia, the temperature has been recorded as low as −32.8 °C (−27.0 °F). In contrast, in Alxa, Inner Mongolia, it rises as high as 37 °C (99 °F) in July.

Average winter minimums are a frigid −21 °C (−6 °F), while summertime maximums are a warm 27 °C (81 °F). Most of the precipitation falls during the summer.

I can't see why Tennessee would be a problem for them.

[Demovictory9]

15. a camel killed two? I dont picture camels as lethal

[Hekate]

20. They are very big, have teeth, & can kick like a --well, like hell. It may have been irritated beyond

… endurance by being in a petting zoo.

[Demovictory9]

22. maybe it kicked the victims in the head. RIP people and camel

[spanone]

16. Didn't hear about this, how horrible.

[malaise]

18. Horrible is right

for all parties

[greenjar_01]

21. Like the beginning of a Six Feet Under episode

Who woulda thunk it?

[Bucky]

27. Good! Let that camel's fate serve as a warning to other camels. You don't hurt humans

Let's be honest here, folks. When it comes to camels, it's either them or us. I, for one, will not bend my knee before our humpbacked overlords.