Authorities said an enraged camel from a Tennessee petting zoo attacked and killed two men on Thursday afternoon.
The Obion County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday that it had received reports of a camel on the loose attacking people at Shirley Farms in Obion.
Audio footage obtained by CBS News shows the dispatcher reporting “two 911 calls about people being brutally attacked by a camel.”
By the time law enforcement officers arrived at the scene, they found two victims unconscious, and the camel remained at large.
The camel was later euthanized “for the safety of everyone at the scene,” authorities said.
Bobby Matheny, 42, and Tommy Gunn, 67, have died.
Bobby Matheny, 42, was one of two victims killed in the camel attack on Thursday.
A camel at Shirley’s farm in Obion County, Tennessee broke free Thursday afternoon and began attacking bystanders, killing two men.
Officials from several agencies reacted to the Shirley farm scene on the grounds of The Pumpkin Barn, LLC shortly before 5:00 pm.
The sign for the Pumpkin Barn, where Shirley’s farms are located, advertises “exotic animals”.
The sheriff’s office said they first received a call about a free camel at Shirley Farm, Pumpkin Barn, LLC around 4:44 p.m.
Officials from several agencies responded to the incident, and police officers arrived immediately to find the two dead unconscious, Sheriff Carl Jackson said Friday.
Police officers immediately tried to help the victims and move them to safety, he said, as the camel attacked the vehicle of the Obion County Sheriff’s Office.
The animal then moved towards the police, who were transferring the victim to an ambulance, at which point, according to Jackson, “the officers had to land the camel for the safety of everyone on [the] scene.’
Afterwards, Matheny and Gunn succumbed to their injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene.
Nick Beres, a Channel 5 reporter in Nashville, later said he spoke to a family member of one of the victims who said he was trying to help catch the animal when it cornered them and attacked, knocking them to the ground.
As the camel expert explained to Beres: “Adult [camel] Can fit your head, arm, leg or torso in your mouth.
“They have enough strength to carry their arms and legs along with your neck, throwing them back and forth.
“Camels will do it all at the same time, leaning forward to crush you,” said a camel expert.
Officers arrived at the scene and found two victims unconscious (pictured).
The mini zoo was previously cited by the USDA for animal cruelty and safety concerns.
In 2018, a report obtained by stated that an inspector at the scene observed that “the public were petting and feeding the animals without any employee/maintenance being present.”
“There is a barrier between humans and non-human primates, but not for any other species present, including zebras, camels, llamas, alpacas, goats, sheep, pigs, fallow deer, kangaroos, zebu, rabbits. , sea and prairie dogs.
“The only employee present at the exhibition was the cashier, who does not have a direct line of sight with any of the animals,” the post reads.
“In order to prevent injury to humans and animals, and to ensure proper human-animal interaction/feeding, service personnel must be present.”
Then, in 2019, the USDA reported that the camels and zebras’ only source of water “was a very small, shallow, muddy stream running through their enclosure.”
“Access to potable water is essential to prevent dehydration and the spread of disease/parasites,” the inspection report says.
“Camels and zebras should be provided with drinking water at any time or as often as necessary for the health and comfort of the animals.”
In a statement to , PETA Foundation’s Deputy Director of Captive Animal Enforcement Debbie Metzler said: “Shirley Farms has a history of lack of employee control over interactions with camels, among many other accusations of violating federal law, so this incident is tragic. but no wonder.
“There are a lot of injuries when animals are used for entertainment, and PETA encourages everyone to avoid sleazy roadside rides like lives depend on it—because they do.”
Following the news of Matheny’s death, tributes began pouring in on Facebook, with Autumn Staggs, a former colleague of Matheny’s, writing, “I can’t believe I’m writing this post.
“Knowing him meant loving him, and for days we clashed,” she wrote of Matheny, calling him her “work husband” when they both worked as cleaners at Lake County High School.
Following the news of Matheny’s death, tributes began pouring in on Facebook, with Autumn Staggs, a former colleague of Matheny’s, writing, “I can’t believe I’m writing this post.”
“I remember the day you were hired,” Staggs recalled. “We had a lot of laughs and a lot of hard work days until I decided to take another job.
“He was always my assistant when I needed to speak out, and vice versa,” she explained.
“Bob was one of a kind and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but calm down big guy.
“You always made me laugh and we always had fun working together.
“Five years of knowing you, five years of relying on you, five years of always being a good colleague and friend, but it hurts, man.
“You were my friend, my assistant up there, and I will never forget you. Calm down my friend.
“I pray that you sing with the angels right now because so many people are suffering tonight because of your departure from Earth. This is a bad dream that I wish we could all wake up from.
A funeral service for Matheny will take place March 13 at the Lake County High School gymnasium, according to an obituary posted online, with staff serving as honorary caskets.
Shirley Farms told CBS News they were “disappointed and grieving” but would not comment yet.