GROSSE TETE, La. — So what would you do if you’d crawled under the fence at a truck stop petting zoo and a camel sat down on you?
- Try to wiggle free.
- Scream for help.
- Bite his testicles.
According to published reports, an unidentified Florida woman and her husband recently visited the petting zoo at a truck stop near Gross Tete, La. The husband was tossing dog treats into a fenced area occupied by a camel named Casper. The couple's pet dog crawled under the fence to get the treats. Contrary to normal procedures where dogs follow their owners, the couple followed their dog by crawling under the fence.
Casper – apparently upset over two humans and a canine invading his territory – sat down on the woman. Casper’s exact weight isn’t known, but zoo officials say some camels weigh more than 1,000 pounds. So there’s the wife trapped under a disgruntled camel, pondering how to get out of her predicament. That brings us back to the original three choices: try to wiggle free, scream for help, or bite his testicles.
“I bit his (testicles),” the woman told Iberville Parish Deputy Louis Hamilton Jr. The couple was aggressive, Hamilton said. The camel was just doing its normal routine.
Workers at the truck stop weren’t cited for any violations, primarily because signs are posted every few feet telling visitors to stay out of the fenced area. On the other hand, the couple was charged with a leash law violation for letting the dog run loose on private property. The two were also charged with criminal trespass.
Instead of crawling under the fence, property manager Pamela Bossier said, the couple should’ve come inside the truck stop and asked employees to help them retrieve the dog. Instead, she said, they crawled under the barbed wire at the bottom of the fence. After getting in Casper’s space, the husband pushed Casper and slapped the camel with his hat.
That, said Bossier, didn’t sit well with Casper, so the camel sat down on the wife.
My only question to the testicle-biting woman’s husband, the deputy said, was “Why did you throw the doggy treat under the fence?” He replied, “I wasn’t thinking.”
According to reports, truck stop officials have been feuding with animal activists for several years. A caged tiger lived on the property for 17 years before it died last year. There’s also a petting zoo with a miniature horse and baby kangaroo there.
The “I wasn’t thinking” comment by the upset Florida husband could apply to another incident a few days ago. Orlando Police Officer Dennis Turner probably “wasn’t thinking” when he arrested, handcuffed and fingerprinted a 6-year-old for misbehaving in her first-grade class.
The child kicked someone during a tantrum at her elementary school and was taken to the juvenile center where Turner charged her with battery. Orlando policy stipulates that an officer must receive permission from a supervisor before arresting anyone under 12 years old. Turner didn’t do that.
Since then, Turner has been fired and the charges against the 6-year-old have been dropped.
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