Deputies Shoot Camel That Attacked Them After Killing Two Men At Petting Zoo

Obion, TN – Obion County sheriff’s deputies had to shoot a rampaging camel at a petting zoo in Obion on Thursday afternoon after the animal killed two people and then went after sheriff’s deputies and their patrol vehicle as they attempted to rescue the downed men.

The Obion County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) said it received an emergency call about a loose camel that was attacking people at the Shirley Farms petting zoo located in the 2500-block of South Bluff Road at about 4:45 p.m. on March 11, WKRN reported.

Deputies responded to the petting zoo and found two men unconscious on the ground.

The rampaging camel was still on the loose, WKRN reported.

Officials said the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the Ridgely Police Department, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, and the Lake County Rescue Squad responded to the scene to assist Obion County sheriff’s deputies in moving the victims to safety.

Authorities said the camel went after an OCSO patrol vehicle and attacked it, WKRN reported.

Then the animal went after the deputies who were trying to move one of the victims.

The sheriff’s department said that was when sheriff’s deputies “put the camel down” for the safety of everyone in the area, WKRN reported.

“The camel attacked an Obion County Sheriff’s Office vehicle then move towards deputies who were attempting to move a victim to EMS,” Obion County Sheriff Karl Jackson said in a press release posted to the sheriff’s department’s official Facebook page.

“It was at this time officers had to put the camel down for the safety of everyone on scene,” Sheriff Jackson said.

The sheriff identified the victims as 42-year-old Bobby Matheny of Ridgely and 67-year-old Tommy Gunn of Obion.

There was a deadly camel attack and the sheriff just released the names of the victims @nc5 pic.twitter.com/4UgU2wklCq

— Alexandra Koehn (@NC5_AKoehn) March 11, 2022

He said that both men were pronounced dead at the scene, according to WKRN.