By Emily Malia

Copyright irishmirror

For her 60th birthday, Pam Weaver’s husband, Noel, presented her with an extraordinary gift – a camel they would keep as a pet.

Tragically, less than 12 months later Pam had been killed by the pet, which was meant to be a thoughtful present.

Following her death in 2007, her husband and daughter discovered her body at their family sheep and cattle ranch in the Mitchell area of Australia, Metro reports. It was as her daughter was preparing dinner, placing a fresh cup of tea on the table, when she rushed to their garden in alarm.

There stood the 330-pound camel, who had knocked her mother over onto the ground and, according to her, made an attempt to ‘mate’ with her. During the incident, the massive animal crushed Pam’s body beneath its weight, leaving her with “one definite footprint” on the side of her face and one remaining on her arm.

According to The Courier Mail, the camel was just 10 months old and had been displaying signs of erratic behaviour for the period of time leading up to the attack. It’s reported it had already made attempts to ‘straddle’ other animals on the ranch, including their pet goat, reports the Mirror.

Present at the scene was Detective Craig Gregory, who said: “I would say it had probably been playing, or it may even be a sexual sort of thing.”

Meanwhile, camel expert Chris Hill explained he had no doubt that the camel’s behaviour was sexual, Metro reports. Gregory said: “It had a bit of a habit with a goat, knocking it over and sort of straddling it and laying on top of it. It’s been chased off the goat a few times.”

It emerged Pam and Noel shared a passion for keeping exotic animals. To celebrate the milestone, rather than purchasing the camel, her relatives had even contemplated presenting her with a llama or alpaca but discovered them to be considerably more expensive.

They believed they were incredibly fortunate residing in Australia, with its rather substantial population of feral camels, having expanded considerably since their initial introduction during the 1800s. This meant a camel represented a much more budget-friendly choice as an unconventional companion for the creature enthusiast.

The camel specialist additionally observed camels aren’t naturally hostile creatures but equally aren’t domestic companions. He cautioned they can pose risks if treated as household pets, and according to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, numerous areas even demand a permit for merely keeping one.

Detective Craig Gregory provided additional insight into the peculiar circumstances, saying: “It was only young, and it had been hand-reared. It drinks out of a bottle and eats out of your hand.”