A Louisiana truck stop turned into a real zoo when a woman chomped down on a camel’s testicles while trying to retrieve her dog that had scrambled into the dromedary’s den, according to a new report.
The showdown between the woman, who wasn’t identified, and Caspar the camel, a roadside attraction, happened Thursday at a truck stop in Gross Tete, about 20 minutes outside Baton Rouge.
The woman’s husband was tossing treats to their dog under Caspar’s fence, prompting the pup to crawl inside the enclosure, the Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office told The Advocate Sunday.
The couple followed after the dog — but the woman didn’t get very far before Caspar took a seat on top of her, crushing her. So she bit down on his genitals to free herself, she told police.
“She said, ‘I bit his balls to get him off of me, I bit his testicles to get him off of me,’” Iberville Parish Deputy Louis Hamilton Jr. told the paper.
An investigation revealed that the couple had provoked Caspar before he sat on the intruder.
“The camel did nothing wrong,” Hamilton said. “[The couple was] aggressive. The camel was just doing its normal routine.”
Male dromedaries can weigh up to 1,320 pounds, according to the San Diego Zoo.
Employees at the truck stop did not face any charges because the camel was enclosed and signs warning the public to stay out are posted every 10 feet, the deputy added.
“The camel has never been aggressive, the camel has never gotten out, never caused any issues,” Hamilton told the paper. “In fact, the husband and wife stated before that we’ve been here before and we’ve never had any problems.”
The couple was cited with a leash law violation for letting the dog run free on the private property, as well as criminal trespassing.
“My only question to her husband was: ‘Why did you throw the doggy treat under the fence?’” Hamilton recalled. “And he just said, ‘I wasn’t thinking.’”
Truck stop manager Pamela Bossier said the pair should have asked for help from employees instead of crawling under the barbed wire to retrieve their pup.
It’s no wonder that Caspar got upset, Bossier said — claiming the man shoved the camel and swatted at it with his hat when he got into the pen.
“Any animal you provoke, they’re going to strike back,” Bossier told the paper. “It’s instinct.”
“He’s really a gentle giant,” she said of Caspar.
For the past 30 years, the truck stop has kept various wild animals at the enclosure — including a tiger — drawing the ire of local animal rights groups. There haven’t been any previous issues with any of the animals, Bossier said.