Watch Runaway Camel Lead Oklahoma Officers On Merry Chase [VIDEO]
We can just about imagine the 9-1-1 calls.
Dispatch: 9-1-1, what's your emergency?
Caller: There's a camel in my front yard, it's not mine, and I want it gone.
As best as can be pieced together, here's what happened.
A camel, legally owned by someone living in the rural Oklahoma countryside, somehow managed to escape its pen and made its way into Collinsville, Oklahoma.
It's not immediately clear who made the first call to authorities, but eventually the Collinsville Police Department was alerted to the camel's presence and went looking for it.
But the cantankerous camel was sneaky and stuck to the shadows, eluding the prying eyes of the Oklahoma lawmen for nearly thirty minutes until it was eventually spotted by officers on a completely different animal control call.
Once spotted, officers from both the Collinsville and the nearby Owasso Police Departments, along with deputies from the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office chased the defiant dromedary down and corralled it. Video shared by the Owasso Police Department shows part of the chase.
Many of those involved in the chase and capture were impressed by the camel's speed and quickness. Its owner says its a very friendly and playful animal so maybe it was just having fun with the officers.
KRJH is reporting the the camel is now back home and none the worse for its short adventure. The camel's owner is actually well-known to local law enforcement and operates an exotic wildlife preserve.
According to Oklahoma law camels are perfectly legal to own as pets. As are other exotic animals like zebras, mules, bison, and alpacas.