# Don't you hate it when a camel walks up and sits down on you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 20, 2005, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758 "2005-05-20T16:22:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758/21 "2005-05-20T17:54:24Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > Next up: let’s laugh at the guy who got eviscerated by an emu. > > Stranger Even more dangerous than emus are the similar-looking cassowary, a spiteful giant bird that always reminded me more of a velociraptor dinosaur than any existing reptiles. Those birds will disembowel you and not think twice about it! ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758/22 "2005-05-20T18:04:26Z")
> [@faldureon](#): > > Didn’t Terry Pratchett try and worn the world about camels in one of his books(Pyramids maybe)? They are very smart animals and extremely foul temperred. Live and learn as they say - I for one shall be even more vigilant about the camel threat from now on. Yep, there were camels in “Pyramids” and they tended to be terribly clever, entertaining themselves through boring times with enormous mathematical calculations, and one of them, previously mentioned somewhere in this thread, was named"You Bastard", because, of course, they were very nasty camels. And of course, they lacked knowledge of correct protocol. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758/23 "2005-05-20T18:12:46Z")
> [@The Weird One](#): > > Camel: What a day! Time to lie down for a little nap. Let’s see . . . pile of straw, freshly mowed grass . . . say, that lady over there looks comfy! > > Seriously, what would make a camel want to sit on someone? It doesn’t speak very well for their parenting abilities, either. “Honey, I Squashed the Kids.” Replace “cat” for “camel”, and “that lady over there” with “person allergic to cats”, and you might get a little closer to commonly experienced problems. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758/24 "2005-05-20T18:36:44Z")
> [@Celyn](#): > > **Stranger** - can’t we laugh and feel sympathy at the same time? And, btw, having people attacked by an emu used to be quite a staple of British T.V. Oh, I’m not objecting to the humor–one can imagine being serrepitiously sat upon by a camel being a great premise for a Monty Python skit (“And now for something completely different…a man being sat upon by a camel!”)[sup]\*[/sup]–but I just wanted to interject a note of reality that, in fact, these creatures are both quiet enough to sneak up on someone and malicious enough to do intentional harm, rather than this being merely a “killed by a falling whale while popping blackhead” type of event. Actually, I just wanted to get a dig in at camels, which are thouroughly nasty creatures that deserve to be strafted by fleets of trained attack pigeons which will be subsquently destroyed in an orbital nuclear bombardment. (It’s the only way to be sure.) Adaptatively fascinating animals, but utterly vile in their disposition, not to mention the smell. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758/25 "2005-05-20T18:40:14Z")
Camels, eh? Maybe we should send a couple of moose down there to _really_ mess with your minds… 😃 (That is pure gold. Where in sweet Og would the camel _come_ from?!?) ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758/26 "2005-05-20T18:46:21Z")
Oh, it doesn’t sound so bad in this article: [http://wvgazette.com/section/News/2005051932](http://wvgazette.com/section/News/2005051932) A little weird still, but not so bad. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758/27 "2005-05-20T18:49:53Z")
I just want to say, I love this thread. Just when I get over the laughter, someone goes and posts the 911 “transcript” or advice on ridding the world of this menace. And when I get over that, I go back to the original image and start laughing again. Not that I don’t feel bad for the woman - it can be a painful experience having my 26-pound toddler sit on me, so I can’t imagine what a camel must feel like. However, if this happened to me, once I got better I would be the first one to bring up the story at cocktail parties and roll on the floor with laughter at the absurdity of it all. Assuming the lawsuit went my way, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758/28 "2005-05-20T18:55:44Z")
Why should she have been surprised? After all, Wednesday IS hump day. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758/29 "2005-05-20T18:57:43Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > Oh, it doesn’t sound so bad in this article: > > [http://wvgazette.com/section/News/2005051932](http://wvgazette.com/section/News/2005051932) > > A little weird still, but not so bad. Heck, that makes it sound downright overblown. Thanks for ruining the fun **romansperson**. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![5que](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/3bc359/32.png) [@5que](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5que)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758/30 "2005-05-20T19:00:10Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > Camels, eh? Maybe we should send a couple of moose down there to _really_ mess with your minds First we get moose and squirrel…. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758/31 "2005-05-20T19:28:05Z")
**Stranger** , I think Kipling says all that’s needed [here](http://www.daypoems.net/poems/1796.html). And, I, too, want a copy of the 911 call. ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758/32 "2005-05-20T19:54:41Z")
From the above link: > [@](#): > > In fact, he said Punjab — named for the bodyguard of Daddy Warbucks in the “Little Orphan Annie” comic strip — is a church-going animal. “At Christmas, we take him around to churches,” Mayle said. :dubious: I had to think about this for a bit. then I realised, they probably use him as part of the Nativity scene. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758/33 "2005-05-20T19:55:52Z")
> [@hillbilly queen](#): > > From the above link: > > :dubious: > > I had to think about this for a bit. then I realised, they probably use him as part of the Nativity scene. Or he just wants to do a novena or two. Either way. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758/34 "2005-05-20T19:58:05Z")
> [@hillbilly queen](#): > > From the above link: > > :dubious: > > I had to think about this for a bit. then I realised, they probably use him as part of the Nativity scene. Nativity scene? What? Oooooh, the _other_ above link. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758/35 "2005-05-20T20:47:29Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Poor woman… I hope the toe didn’t leave a mark. (snort!) ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758/36 "2005-05-20T21:14:48Z")
> [@Marlitharn](#): > > I would pay good money to hear the tape of that 911 call. > > Op: 911, what’s your emergency? > Caller: I’m on the ground and there’s a camel on me! > … Alternatively; Op: 911, what’s your emergency! Caller: I’ve been sat on by a camel! I can’t breathe! Op: I beg your pardon? Caller: I’ve been sat on by a camel. Op: Ma’am, 911 is for life-threatening emergencies. Being pooped on by a camel, albeit disgusting and smelly, is not a life-threatening emergency. Caller: Not shat on! Sat on! Sat on! _wheeze_ ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758/37 "2005-05-20T22:34:31Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > Not to kill the humor worm here, but camels actually move quite silently and are known for playing “pranks” like biting off your ear or sitting on you when you’re not looking. The US Army tried to establish a Camel Corps in the mid 19th Century for use for transport in the arid regions of the US. While the camels (mostly bactrians) were vastly better suited for the environment than horses or mules their disposition and unsuitability to traditional equine husbandry methods made the venture problematical and they were eventually released into the wild, where they died off after several situations. The last one was sighted in [1941](http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200203/camels.west.htm), given that that’s about the last time anyone saw an ivory billed woodpecker until recently (officially, anyway), then it’s possible that there might still be some running about. Apparently, the ones in Oz are causing [real problems and are being killed.](http://www.detnews.com/2005/nation/0504/27/A09-163307.htm) > [@](#): > > Authorities in Australia’s Outback said Tuesday that they plan to shoot wild camels from helicopters because the rapidly expanding population is encroaching on ranchland – an idea that outraged animal welfare groups. > > Officials in South Australia state said they needed to reduce the camel population – which grows by an estimated 11 percent a year – because the animals are straining limited water supplies for sheep and cattle. > > “The simplest, quickest and most cost effective way of doing that is an aerial cull,” rural lands inspector Chris Turner told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. > > He estimated the number of camels near ranch lands at 60,000. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758/38 "2005-05-20T22:50:43Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > The US Army tried to establish a Camel Corps in the mid 19th Century for use for transport in the arid regions of the US. While the camels (mostly bactrians) were vastly better suited for the environment than horses or mules their disposition and unsuitability to traditional equine husbandry methods made the venture problematical and they were eventually released into the wild, where they died off after several situations. [This film](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074614/) is loosely based on that experiment, which happened to have been approved by Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, who would become president of the Confederate States of America about a decade later. According to [this site,](http://www.transchool.eustis.army.mil/Museum/Camel.htm) there were authenticated sightings of wild dromedaries and Bactrians in the western USA as late as the early twentieth century. Of course, there are probably cryptozoologists who insist that descendants of the quadrupeds recruited for the Camel Corps roam Utah and Nevada to this day… Australia is populated by about [700,000 feral camels,](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4485105.stm) and controversy is raging over how (or indeed whether) to cull the herd. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758/39 "2005-05-20T23:03:21Z")
> [@Sternvogel](#): > > [This film](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074614/) is loosely based on that experiment, which happened to have been approved by Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, who would become president of the Confederate States of America about a decade later. Well, if the film has Slim Pickins in it, it must be true. “Well, boys, I reckon this is it - nuclear combat toe to toe with the Roosskies.” (Okay, it was just an excuse to sneak a [Dr. Strangelove](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/) quote in here.) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758/40 "2005-05-20T23:16:47Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > Well, if the film has Slim Pickins in it, it must be true. > > “Well, boys, I reckon this is it - nuclear combat toe to toe with the Roosskies.” > > (Okay, it was just an excuse to sneak a [Dr. Strangelove](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/) quote in here.) > > Stranger Well, considering the subject matter, shouldn’t it be, “Well, boys, I reckon this is it - nuclear combat camel toe to camel toe with the Rooskies.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-hate-it-when-a-camel-walks-up-and-sits-down-on-you/304758.md?page=3)