A Delaware farm owner and animal enthusiast was fatally crushed by one of his own camels in a freak accident last week that’s left his loved ones reeling.
Juan Caride, 65, was “tending to his camel” when the animal fell on him, resulting in his death, a spokesperson for the Delaware State Police confirmed to Delaware Online.
For those close to Caride, who also owned a local pawn shop, the loss is profound.
Torres Hector, whom Caride considered a brother, told Delaware Online that one of the last things Caride said to him was, “I love you.”
Hector recalled responding, “I love you, too, papi.”
The Caride family operates a 50-acre farm in Felton, where they care for 20 horses, nine donkeys, and three camels: Bubbles, Chocolate, and Batman.
Juan’s wife, Toni Caride, had raised the camels since they were calves. In a 2014 interview with Delaware Online, she noted their “really nice personalities,” describing them as “loveable” animals that enjoyed interacting with people.
It was Juan’s idea to start the camel herd. According to his wife, Juan initially bought Batman, the camel who crushed him, as a single companion.
“He was about a week old when we got him, and we felt that he was lonely,” Toni explained. “So, he said I better get a couple more for him. So we went and found two females that were the same age and we got those for him.”
Reflecting on the couple’s character, a tearful Hector described Juan and Toni as “real beautiful” people.
