Tellus has welcomed plenty of distinguished visitors to its Sandy Ridge facility in remote WA – from, Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King, to EPA WA Chair Prof. Matthew Tonts. But when a baby camel turned up on site just before Christmas, unannounced, the usual protocols weren’t of much help.
Tellus’ Medical Emergency Services Officer Caryn Hargrave was summoned—not because there was a medical emergency, but because she has experience rearing horses. Caryn managed to lead the little fellow, possibly less than a week old, back to the Tellus administration building, where water and shade were provided.
Christened Humphrey in honour of his hump-free condition—camels don’t develop their full humps until a year or so old—the baby camel spent about four hours at Sandy Ridge, enjoying the attention of staff, before being transported to his forever home at the Coolgardie Camel Farm, about 150km away. He was even happy to pose for photos in front of the Tellus air dome.
Camel sightings are no novelty at Sandy Ridge. The animals were brought to the WA goldfields as beasts of burden during the 1890s, and now run feral in their tens of thousands. However, an orphaned baby camel is not a common sight.
In the days prior to his surprise arrival on site, Humphrey had been spotted by Tellus staff in the vicinity of the facility. A couple of patrols had gone out, hoping to lead him to shelter. Water had been left out for him.
In the end, it was Humphrey who made the move himself. And the result was stardom on the front page of the Kalgoorlie Miner.
The good news is that Humphrey is thriving at the Camel Farm, a popular Coolgardie Shire tourist destination, and welcomes regular visits there from his Tellus friends whenever they are passing through town.
