Camel OK after escaping enclosure and being hit by van
A ranch hand called out "Come on, dude," as he tried to coax a camel into a trailer along Bailey Road in Concord, Calif., on Tuesday. It was the second time the 10-year-old camel named Phil escaped its enclosure. Earlier in the day citizens helped California Highway Patrol officers shepherd the camel off the roadway. (AP Photo/The Contra Costa Times, Susan Tripp Pollard)
CONCORD, Calif. » Officials believe a camel that escaped its enclosure twice Tuesday before being clipped by a minivan probably just wanted to be around some other animals.
The Contra Costa Times reports the single-humped camel was hit by the van as it walked along a road in Concord around 6:45 p.m. Tuesday.
It was the second time Tuesday the 10-year-old camel named Phil escaped its enclosure. Earlier in the day citizens helped California Highway Patrol officers shepherd the camel off the roadway.
Raymond Ferrante — a land manager for a company overseeing property where the camel is being kept — says UC Davis veterinarians have examined it and said the camel did not suffer any broken bones, or other injuries.
Ferrante says because camels are “very social” he believes that’s why Phil escaped its enclosure twice in one day.
