Vet tech training camels in Athol

The dromedary in Athol is not the one from your Christmas card. Nor is it one of the camels ridden by the Three Wise Men.

Noah is a 3-year-old dromedary and Kali Andrews is a delightful 5-year-old year girl who lost her shyness when she met Noah. The two hit it right off when Kali produced a carrot, which Noah seemed to be fond of.

Jeannene Christ, a camel trainer and trained veterinary tech, moved to Athol last spring, where she trained a double-humped Bactrian camel named Zoey for her owner, then shipped her off. Zoey has been replaced by Noah, who has just one hump.

Merritt and Paula Andrews, along with their daughter, Kali, received an invitation to visit Noah up close and personal. In the field with Noah was a miniature cow, called a zebu, plus an aggressively friendly cross between a Nubian and pigmy goat. A great time was had by all, especially Kali, who was grinning from ear to ear the whole time.

Christ, pronounced Crist, has a waiting list for five more camels from people who like the idea of having the unusual pets but who don’t necessarily have the camel-wrangling skills needed to go with it. That’s where Christ comes in.

Christ owned her own camel and trained others when she lived in southern Arizona, where she also ran a pet-rescue foundation.

Camels, if angered, can kill a person, she says, especially if the animal’s owner doesn’t know what they’re doing. She worries about Noah’s current owner, a woman whom she says won’t get close to a horse, because “they have such big teeth,” and suggests that attitude is “probably is not the right fit for owning a camel.”