Lonely After His Friend Dies, A Camel Bird Escapes From The Korean Zoo

Illustration of an camel. (Wikimedia Commons/Erwin Bosman)

JAKARTA - A camel escaped from its cage in a zoo and had run on a road crowded with vehicles, before being recaptured, after his friend died, the zoo owner said.

The camel bird escaped from its cage at a zoo in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Local authorities said on Tuesday, the bird had been running on a highway crowded with vehicles for an hour.

Witnesses posted photos and videos of the male camel named Tadori on social media, after he left the Bug City zoo and ran quickly across traffic, a local policeman said.

Police and local firefighters caught the bird using a net in a car park about 2.6 kilometers (1.62 miles) from the zoo, which is located about half an hour south of Seoul.

The four-year-old camel bird survived and was returned to the zoo in stable condition, zoo owner Choi Yun-joo told Reuters.

"The only friend, a female camel named Tasooni, died about a month ago. Maybe it was very difficult for Tadori," said Choi, as reported by March 28.

While citing the Asia News Network, Tadori has been alone at home since his friend Tasooni died last month. The couple has been raised since on the farm in July 2020, when they were children less than 1 year old.

"Since the death of his friend, Tadori seems to be experiencing a lot of stress," the farm owner told local media.

Tadori fled the farm by breaking through a narrow gap between the farm fences and was arrested at 10:24 a.m. in the storage building in Sangdaewon-dong, Seongnam.

Although Tadori reportedly suffered minor bruises on his leg as he escaped through the fence, he was caught unharmed and said he was resting and recuperating at his home.