Number 10 Casper the Camel In September of 2019, a Florida woman was
attacked by a camel and only escaped after biting the animal’s testicles. The incident
happened at the Tiger Truck Stop, in Louisiana, an establishment known for exhibiting wild
animals. The unnamed woman’s pet dog had crawled under a barbed wire fence and into
Casper the Camel’s enclosure. The male dromedary was spooked both by the dog and by the woman
who’d followed her pet inside while trying to catch it. Casper pinned the woman against
a wall, brought her down and then sat on top of her. Trapped beneath the animal’s crushing
weight, she bit Casper’s testicles thus prompting him to retreat. The woman was taken
to a hospital but Casper didn’t suffer any significant damage in the altercation.
Number 9 Cetin Ildan Turkish farmer Cetin Ildan was in the middle
of telling a TV crew about how camel breeding had changed his business, when one of the
beasts attacked him. The camel locked its powerful jaws on the man’s knee then swung
him through the air and into a fence. Ildan remembered feeling as if his leg had been
separated from his body. His limb had gone completely numb. Fortunately, he made a full
recovery after he was treated at a local hospital in Samandag.
What Is It? Camels are even-toed ungulates from the Camelus
genus known for a distinctive hump on their back. There are three camel species: the single-humped
dromedary, the double-humped Bactrian camel and the wild Bactrian camel. With the exception
of the latter, most camels are domesticated, working animals. They provide their owners
with milk, meat and textiles. Camels are well-adapted and vital for transporting people and goods
in the harsh desert habitat. Their flat feet distribute weight in the sand while slit-like
nostrils and double-rowed eyelashes help keep out sand particles. Camels have thick, tough
lips that allow them to feed on dry, thorny desert vegetation. Their humps are reservoirs
of fatty tissue which is metabolized into water. They can go for 10 days in extreme
heat without drinking a drop. The fur at the top of their body is thicker, allowing for
shade, and thin everywhere else thus enabling easy heat loss. Camels are strong animals
capable of enduring conditions that would kill most other mammals. Attacks on humans
or vehicle collisions are reported every year and some end in death.
Number 8 Govind Trivedi In the city of Ahmedabad, in the Gujarat province
of India, a man was tasked with guarding a camel but failed to do so properly and the
consequences were tragic. Phoola Meena had been paid by the animal’s owner to watch
it as he ran some errands. The camel was tied up next to a market road. As the hour got
late, Meena fell asleep. A 45-year-old builder, named Govind Trivedi, was returning home and
strayed too close to the animal. The camel attacked him and viciously clamped its jaws
on his head. Trivedi’s screams woke up Meena, who intervened and tried to rescue him but
he too was bitten on the leg. Trivedi’s injuries were beyond medical intervention
and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Meena claimed that, after the camel finally let
go of Trivedi, other locals beat him for his negligence. He also had to be taken to the
hospital but eventually recovered. Number 7 Circus Camel Attack
In July of 2017, a circus animal handler was brutally trampled by a camel at a Maryland
fairground, in the US. The 57-year-old man was trying to move the animal when it suddenly
charged him. It’s unknown why the camel attacked, but some blamed its rage on overwhelming
heat and fatigue. The handler was repeatedly bitten and trampled. His injuries were severe
enough that he had to be airlifted to a trauma center at the University of Maryland Medical
Center. Where Is It Located?
Dromedaries account for about 90% of the total camel population, estimated at around 14 million.
They mostly live in Africa, particularly in the Horn region, South Asia and the Middle
East. The domesticated, two-humped Bactrian camels live in Central Asia. The critically
endangered wild Bactrian camel is the only species that’s truly wild and it inhabits
the Taklamakan and Gobi Deserts in Mongolia and China. There are currently over 700,000
feral camels living in Australia. They’re descendants from camels brought to the country
in the 19th and 20th century. Their population is growing steadily and the Australian government
has culled thousands of camels, mainly because they’re depleting resources on which sheep
farmers rely. Number 6 Peggye McNair and Mark Mere
In January of 2015, two people were trampled to death, at a Texas farm, by a rampaging
camel. 73-year-old Peggye McNair owned Camel Kisses Farm, near Wichita Falls, where visitors
could come and interact with the humped animals. She and farmhand Mark Mere were trying to
close the gate of a pen housing a large male. The animal, which reportedly was in rut, became
aggressive and charged the pair. They couldn’t get out of the enclosure in time and were
trampled to death. Both people were dead by the time sheriff deputies arrived at the scene.
A game warden subsequently put down the camel, with permission from the McNair family.
Number 5 Camels Invade Town Back in 2009, a remote town in the Australian
outback called Docker River came under siege as thousands of camels invaded it. The feral
animals were searching for a water source. People were too afraid to come out of their
houses for fear of being trampled to death. About 6,000 beasts damaged houses, roads and
blocked the town’s airstrip, preventing medical evacuation but also the transportation
of vital supplies. With residents trapped in their homes and with the camels being too
numerous to divert, the country’s government opted for culling the beasts.
How Will It Kill You? Camels have a warrior pedigree as they were
once part of various cavalry detachments, in Africa and the Middle East. It’s not
hard to understand why camels made optimal war companions. They can sprint into battle
at 40 mph and run for extended periods of time at 25 mph. To compare that to human performance,
it would be like running a marathon at a sprinter’s pace. Aside from durability and adaptability,
camels are massive. The Bactrian camel can stand at up to 7 feet and weigh 2,200 pounds,
almost twice more than a grizzly bear. A dromedary will generally be taller but weigh considerably
less. Camels have a strong bite and there have been reports of them decapitating humans.
Being thrown off a camel’s back means falling from considerable height and may result in
broken bones or fatal injuries. Additionally, they can deliver devastating kicks with any
leg. Their massive weight and sturdy hooves means they can easily trample people to death.
Number 4 Camel Bites Owner’s Head In May of 2016, a camel bit its owner’s
head off after the man had abandoned it all day in the sweltering heat, with its legs
tied. The incident happened in Rajasthan, India, where temperatures may go up to 123
degrees F. According to eyewitnesses, the animal attacked as soon as the man untied
it. The camel bit its owner on the neck then threw him to the ground. It then started chewing
away at his neck, effectively severing his head. According to other villagers, the man
had had trouble with the camel in the past. In one incident it took 25 people, in a struggle
lasting several hours, to restrain the enraged camel.
Number 3 Pam Weaver As a present for her 60th birthday, Pam Weaver
was given a camel by her husband. The young male, less than one year old, was housed at
the couple’s farm in Australia’s Queensland state. One day, as Weaver went to check on
the camel wandering in her backyard, she was swiftly knocked to the ground. The police
suspect that the camel then tried to mate with the woman and, in doing so, crushed her
underneath its weight. Weaver’s lifeless body was found with clear hoof marks on the
arm and face. The camel had had other violent outbursts while at the farm. It attacked livestock
and had tried to straddle a goat, nearly suffocating the animal.
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How to Survive? It’s said that an angry camel will attack
anyone, even its owner. This is why it’s important to give wild or feral ones a wide
berth and to properly care for domesticated ones. Camels are social, herd animals that
will enjoy your company if they’re treated right. This means access to clean water, food,
such as Bermuda hay, and a salt lick since sodium’s important in their diet. Make sure
they have plenty of space to move around in their housing area. Training them to follow
your lead should never involve being rough with the animal. It’s preferable to use
positive reinforcement for good behavior, in the form of threats. A sick camel may be
more likely to attack. Always check for signs of illness, which may include a soft, squishy
hump, refusal to eat or an internal temperature below 99 degrees or above 103 degrees F.
Number 2 Karen Saccone While holidaying in the Canary Islands, 61-year-old
Karen Saccone became the victim of a horrific camel attack. The woman, from Derby, England,
wanted to experience a camel ride on the beach the day before she was due to fly home. Moments
after she’d had sat on the camel’s back, the beast got spooked. It threw Saccone forward
and she landed face-first in the sand. With her leg still caught in the seat’s strap,
she was dragged for several feet. During this time, the camel and another one, which the
owner struggled to hold back, started kicking and stomping the woman. Saccone thought she
was going to die. She survived but sustained a fractured pelvis, a collapsed lung and five
broken ribs. She needed about 4 months of recovery time in the incident’s aftermath.
Saccone also suffered lasting complications on her left knee, for which she required several
surgeries in the years that followed. Number 1 Richard Mileski
In October of 2014, Richard Mileski was killed by a camel he owned at his exotic animal ranch
in Tulum, Mexico. The runaway beast relentlessly kicked and trampled the American man. As Mileski
was still clinging to life, the camel sat on his body and asphyxiated him. Rescuers
had to tie a rope to a pickup truck in order to pull the animal off Mileski. According
to one of the workers, the ranch owner succumbed to his injuries as he was given first aid.
It’s unknown why the animal had attacked him but one version had to do with Coca-Cola.
Mileski would always treat the camel to the soft drink, and it’s believed that he was
attacked because he hadn’t brought it the sugary beverage.
Thanks for watching! Would you rather get bitten by a camel or work for a month as a
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