Elderly camel inspires zoo visitors

Mainichi reports that a elderly camel at a zoo in Yokohama is inspiring visitors:

A sign on the camel’s cage reads, “I am receiving proper treatment, so please don’t worry.”

Tsugaru was born on a farm in Aomori Prefecture in around 1976, but it struggled to find a home. A male company executive from Yokohama, who felt sorry for the camel, bought it in 1982 and donated it to the Nogeyama Zoo.

The camel became popular and was nicknamed, “Tsugaru-san.” However, about six years ago, it became unable to walk due to arthritis of its forelegs.

The camel only manages to raise its 300-kilogram body when it is given food and medicine. Zookeepers are helping the camel undergo walking rehabilitation.

For the rest of the day, however, the camel remains lying down. Zookeepers administer medicine to the camel and replace a bandage attached to its stomach to prevent bedsores.

Some see the camel as pathetic and painful to watch, but many others have been moved by the sight of the camel’s efforts to stay alive. The director of the zoo hopes that seeing the camel will be “an opportunity for visitors to become more considerate of others.”