Two People Killed by Camel in Wichita County
UPDATE (1/10/15 7:00 PM): The two victims have been identified as 72-year-old Peggy McNair and 53-year-old Mark Mere.
Two people, a man and a woman, in western Wichita County have reportedly been killed while working with a camel.
The incident happened on FM 367 near Wellington at Camel Kisses Camel Farm around 3:00 PM Saturday afternoon. Wichita County Sheriff David Duke says that the two people entered a pen holding one male camel and two female camels to tend to a frozen water trough. Duke says that one of the female camels was in rut and ready for breeding, which can cause heightened aggression in the male camels during this time.
The male victim was using a large metal pole to break up the ice in the frozen trough when the nearly 14-foot-tall male camel became overly aggressive and trampled the two people to death.
Both victims suffered severe trauma and were dead when authorities arrived on the scene. The bodies have been sent to Tarrant County for autopsy.
Peggy McNair is former vice president of American National Bank in Wichita Falls and has raised camels for nearly 20 years.
KFDX reports that the McNair family gave game wardens permission to put the male camel down.