For her 60th birthday, Pam Weaver’s husband, Noel, presented her with an extraordinary gift – a camel they would keep as a pet.
Tragically, less than 12 months later Pam had been killed by the animal, which was meant to be a loving gesture.
After her death in 2007, her husband and daughter discovered her body at their family sheep and cattle ranch in the Mitchell area of Australia, Metro reports.
It was whilst her daughter was preparing dinner, setting a fresh cup of tea on the table, when she rushed to their garden in alarm.
There stood the 330-pound camel, which had knocked her mother over onto the ground and, according to her, attempted to ‘mate’ with her, reports the Mirror.
During the incident, the massive creature crushed Pam’s body beneath its weight, leaving her with “one definite footprint” on the side of her face and one remaining on her arm.
According to The Courier Mail, the camel was just 10 months old and had been showing signs of erratic behaviour for the period of time leading up to the attack.
It’s reported it had already made attempts to ‘straddle’ other animals on the ranch, including their pet goat.
Present at the scene was Detective Craig Gregory, who said: “I would say it had probably been playing, or it may even be a sexual sort of thing.”
Meanwhile, camel expert Chris Hill explained he had no doubt that the camel’s behaviour was sexual, Metro reports. Gregory said: “It had a bit of a habit with a goat, knocking it over and sort of straddling it and laying on top of it. It’s been chased off the goat a few times.”
It became apparent Pam and Noel shared a mutual passion for keeping exotic animals.
To commemorate the special milestone, rather than buying the camel, her relatives had actually contemplated presenting her with a llama or alpaca but discovered them to be considerably more expensive.
They believed they were incredibly fortunate residing in Australia, with its remarkably substantial population of feral camels, having expanded considerably since their initial introduction during the 1800s.
This meant a camel represented a much more budget-friendly choice as an unconventional companion for the creature enthusiast.
The camel specialist additionally observed that camels aren’t naturally hostile creatures but equally aren’t domestic animals.
He cautioned they can pose risks if treated as household pets, and according to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, numerous areas actually demand a permit for merely possessing one.
Detective Craig Gregory provided additional insight into the extraordinary circumstances, stating: “It was only young, and it had been hand-reared. It drinks out of a bottle and eats out of your hand.”