Loose camel kills 2 people near Tennessee petting zoo

 A camel attacked and killed two men outside of Memphis, Tennessee, after escaping a petting zoo Thursday (March 10).

..."Deputies arrived on scene to find two unconscious victims on the ground at Shirley Farms and a camel still on the loose," the sheriffs wrote on their Facebook page. "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."

The seemingly aggressive camel attacked one of the Obion sheriff's vehicles and then moved toward deputies who were trying to move a victim to EMS, they said. At this time, the officers had to "put the camel down for the safety of everyone on scene." The two male victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

...As for why the escaped camel was so aggressive, that is unknown; however, in general, camels show little aggressive behavior except between males during mating season, the San Diego Zoo says. Breeding season in the wild for dromedary camels takes place in the winter, or rainy season. And when males fight for access to females, they are known to bite at their opponent's legs and take his head in between their jaws in an effort to bring that competitor to the ground, according to the University of Michigan's Museum of Zoology...MORE