As a camel broke loose from a Tennessee petting zoo Thursday afternoon, it killed two men.
Ridgely, Tenn., resident Bobby Matheny, 42, and Obion, Tenn., resident Tommy Gunn, 67, were pronounced dead on scene.
According to his obituary, Matheny was a janitor at Lake County High School. He is survived by friends and family. Both he and Gunn were on the scene to help capture the animal, said a local news outlet.
Matheny and Gunn were injured around the time the Obion County Sheriff’s Office received a call of a loose camel near Shirley Farms on South Bluff Road in Obion at approximately 4:44 p.m. Thursday. When deputies arrived at the scene, they found the men unconscious on the ground and learned the camel was still on the loose.
Obion is around 100 miles northeast of Memphis.
In addition to the Obion County Sheriff's Office, the Lake County Sheriff's Office, Ridgely Police Department, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and the Lake County Rescue Squad were on the scene. First responders attempted to render aid to the victims and move them to a safe place.
However, the camel also attacked an Obion County Sheriff's Office vehicle and deputies who were trying to move one of the victims. Around this time, the camel was put down “for the safety of everyone on scene.”
A camel expert cited by a local news outlet said a full-grown camel “can fit your head, arm, leg, or torso in its mouth,” and they can have enough strength to “crush arms and legs along with your neck while kicking forward and backwards.”
In a statement issued Friday, PETA said “a stressed camel” killed Matheny and Gunn.
“Shirley Farms has a history of failing to have employees supervise interactions with camels, among many other citations for violating federal law, so this incident is tragic yet unsurprising,” said the animal advocacy group.
Shirley Farms told CBS News that they are “upset and grieving about the attack,” but did not have further comment.
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