The sad life of a camel named Polo
May 8th, 2007 by admin
On April 22, a camel trampled a woman to death in the City of Wewahitchka. The victim had purchased the camel— named “Polo”— a few weeks prior to the incident at an exotic animal auction held at the Sumter County Fairgrounds in Bushnell. This week the Ocala Star-Banner reported that the camel has been sent to Tennessee to be put up for sale at another animal auction.
The story of Polo is not unusual. It is remarkably easy to purchase exotic animals in Florida—at animal auctions, pet stores or over the Internet. Buyers are rarely questioned about whether they have the knowledge or resources to properly care for the animals. Exotic animals may be appealing when purchased, but when they become too large to handle or too expensive to care for they are often abandoned to suffer in small barren enclosures or are discarded at an auction. Polo’s last home was a pitifully small 300 square-foot enclosure. We hope the next chapter in this animal’s sad life will be happier.
Help ARFF end the sale of exotic animals in Florida. Contact Sumter County Commissioner Garry Breeden and urge him to end the auction of exotic animals at the Sumter County Fairgrounds (Commissioner Breeden’s district includes the fairgrounds).
E-mail: Garry.Breeden@sumtercountyfl.gov