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Four
enormous golden camels, standing in the bright sunshine and munching
on hay after a long day trekking. But this isn't Arabia, Egypt or
even a safari park - it's actually in the middle of the Forest of
Dean!
Two
years ago, Alastair Fraser (right) from Sedbury brought llama trekking
to the Forest of Dean. Now he's decided to go a step further and
bring camel trekking to the Forest. Alastair explained:
"We're
going to operate them in the Forest of Dean and they'll be based
at Speech House. We'll be doing roughly the same as we do with the
llamas. Whether we will be able to allow people to ride them or
not, we're not yet certain. There are insurance implications."
Llamas
are one thing, but camels in the Forest of Dean? Surely it can't
be normal for such exotic beasts to live there. Alastair disagrees,
saying:
"When
they came here first I think that everyone was quite surprised.
The Forest of Dean is a beautiful place and I think it's an ideal
environment to take such beautiful animals."
(14 Pictures)
Nervous
reporter
I have
to say, slightly nervously, that I climbed down into the pen of
these four huge creatures and I was introduced by Alastair to Vera,
Jasmine, Teifet and Tazruk.
"We've
got two British born camels, Vera and Jasmine. Vera is eight years
old and Jasmine is six. They're lovely natured animals. Vera is
an ex-Chipperfield circus camel.
The
other two were working camels who came across quite a few years
ago from the Canary Islands. Tazruk, who's 40 years old, is now
a pensioner and Teifet, who is an absolutely beautiful camel, is
30 years old.
Tazruk
is a bit arthritic now so there's no way we'll be working him. He's
here until the end of his days, in retirement."
While
Tazruk is purely in the Forest for rest and relaxation, the others
are here to trek and it won't be long until the three working camels
are spotted out and about in the Forest carrying bags, or possibly
even people.
It's
not really something you'd associate with the Forest of Dean - sheep,
deer and even wild boar but camels? People must be surprised when
they find out. Alastair explained:
"It
was the same with the llamas. When we first started operating them,
people were amazed to see these exotic animals wandering about the
Forest.
But
they've been doing it now for around two years and they've become
part of the scenery so much so that local newspapers describe them
as the 'Forest's llamas'. So I think the same will happen with the
camels."
Do
Alastair's friends and family think he's a bit eccentric when he
suddenly announces that he's going to start a camel trekking business
in the heart of rural Gloucestershire? He revealed:
"They
think I'm stark raving bonkers! My wife loves them as well and she's
very involved with the animals. Friends can't understand us though."
Adapting
to Forest life
But
if the camels are going to become as much a part of the Forest as
the llamas then they'll have to learn to follow their orders. They
look like a pretty well behaved bunch when I was surrounded by them
in their pen but the two from the Canaries haven't quite mastered
the Forest dialect yet. Alastair said:
"Two
speak Spanish and two speak English. It's quite amusing but when
we get them to go down you have to say 'sit down' to the two English
ones. The two Spanish ones, well, you have to use Arabic with them
actually, and you have to say 'kush'. You definitely have to do
it this way."
Lovely
temperament
Alastair
insists that the camels are beautiful creatures and they have a
lovely temperament. He said:
"The
great thing about camels is that they don't do anything quickly.
It's a nice, sedate pace with them. And they're absolutely gorgeous."
And
he is actually right. When I told people I was going to visit camels,
they went 'urgh!' and said how horrible they are, ugly, bad tempered
and that they spit.
In
reality they are very big, especially when you're close to them,
and they've got really spindly thin legs that don't look anywhere
near strong enough to hold up their big, fat bodies and humps.
But
facially, they are very pretty - they've got huge eyes and eyelashes,
and hilariously rubbery lips. They could perhaps do with a toothbrush
but there was definitely no spitting. Alastair said:
"We've
never seen them spit, we've not seen them bite. Their temperament
is absolutely superb.
Neil,
who used to own them, his young children would climb all over them
so they've got a beautiful temperament.
We've
been told that llamas spit but our llamas don't spit. Camels don't
spit. If you treat them badly then they probably will."
Personalities
And
apparently camels really do have they very own personalities. Alastair
explained:
"All
four of them here have completely different personalities. Jasmine
is a bit shy but very inquisitive.
Vera,
as you'd appreciate with a name like that, is very pushy. I'm not
into soaps but I've been told she reminds people of Vera Duckworth
(Coronation Street).
The
older boy, Tazruk, he's very friendly indeed. Teifet, once again,
is absolutely gorgeous. Obviously the pair have adapted very well
in coming across to this country."
Lovely
creatures
Well,
I don't know about Vera Duckworth but the circus camel was very
friendly. Why didn't I take any notice when they told me not to
work with animals? Vera, the most dominant camel, managed to sneak
up behind me as eight foot camels do, and gave me a playful nip
on the shoulder.
Despite
all this, I have to say that spending time with the camels was the
highlight of my week. They're exotic, beautiful, multilingual and
they like kissing your neck... what more could a girl want!
(14 Pictures)
|
The
Forest of Dean boasts many creatures but the addition of golden camels
is surely one of the most bizarre. Intrepid ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ journalist Naomi Wordley
finds out more...
