A loose camel attacked and killed two people near a Tennessee petting zoo, authorities said Friday, as per CBS News. Officials had to put the camel down to ensure the safety of those present at the scene. 

Obion County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release posted on Facebook, “On Thursday, March 10, 2022, at approximately 4:44PM, the Obion County Sheriff’s Office received a call of a loose camel near Shirley Farms on South Bluff Road in Obion, Tennessee attacking people. Deputies arrived on scene to find two unconscious victims on the ground at Shirley Farms and a camel still on the loose. Obion County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Ridgely Police Department, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and the Lake County Rescue Squad were all on scene attempting to render aid and move the victims to a safe place”. 

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The report continued, “The camel attacked an Obion County Sheriff’s Office vehicle then move towards deputies who were attempting to move a victim to EMS. It was at this time officers had to put the camel down for the safety of everyone on scene. The two victims, Bobby Matheny, 42, of Ridgely, TN and Tommy Gunn, 67, of Obion, TN, did succumb to their injuries and were pronounced dead on scene”. 

Audio obtained by CBS News also logged a dispatcher reporting “two 911 calls of two people being viciously attacked by a camel at Shirley Farms”. 

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While Shirley Farms expressed being grieved and upset at the time, they didn’t have anything further to comment, as per CBS News. 

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A paper titled “The nature and consequences of camel-related injuries: A scoping review with special reference to Arab Middle Eastern countries” by Naushad Ahmad Khan, Ayman El-Menyar, Hassan Al-Thani, published by Elsevier, the Netherlands-based company specializing in scientific, medical, and technical content states that “Camels can occasionally be very hostile to humans, inflicting serious injuries”. It also notes that injuries may be due to “camel bites, falls from their backs, kicks, or collisions with motor vehicles”.