Despite rumors, the Franklin Park Zoo’s camel did not escape this weekend
Zowie was "safe and sound in her barn."
Don’t worry folks, the Franklin Park Zoo’s camel is safe and sound.
However, if you glanced at Twitter on Saturday night, you may have thought the woolly, humped animal was taking Boston by storm, following an apparently erroneous report to police, which set off set off proverbial social media sirens.
Boston MA – Franklin Park Zoo reports that a camel has escaped from the Zoo. Multiple PD units and Environmental PD responding to the area. #breakingnews #boston
— Rick Nohl (@RickNohl) March 24, 2018
Boston Police: person reported around 715p that a camel *may* be missing from Franklin Park Zoo was called in around 715p. // Our photog on scene talked to people at the zoo and no camel is loose or missing.
— AndreaWBZ (@AndreaWBZ) March 24, 2018
https://twitter.com/5_13Dist/status/977698768777867266
Rest assured that the Boston zoo’s sole camel was in her exhibit the whole time, according to zoo officials.
Brooke Wardrop, a spokeswoman for Zoo New England, the nonprofit that runs the Franklin Park Zoo, said in an email Monday it was unclear how the rumor initially got started. Zowie, the 2-year-old camel, was “safe and sound in her barn,” Wardrop said.
Officials at the 106-year-old zoo run annual mock escape drills, so staff are well-practiced in the case of a real-life scenario in which a camel, giraffe, tiger, or any other animal does actually manage to make it out of their confines. However, the zoo’s response over the weekend amounted to several tweets repeatedly assuring the public that Zowie was not on the loose.
Our camel at Franklin Park Zoo is on grounds and did not escape.
— Zoo New England (@zoonewengland) March 25, 2018
Reports earlier tonight that a camel escaped from Franklin Park Zoo are false. Our camel is safe on grounds at #FPZoo.
— Zoo New England (@zoonewengland) March 25, 2018
Hi – our camel at Franklin Park Zoo is on grounds and did not escape
— Zoo New England (@zoonewengland) March 25, 2018
Our camel did not escape, and is safe on grounds at #FPZoo
— Zoo New England (@zoonewengland) March 25, 2018
The zoo even poked fun at the false report Monday, posting a video of Zowie.
“Well, since people keep asking me … I guess you could say I had a pretty good weekend,” they wrote, channeling the camel. “Ate plenty of alfalfa, hung out with my awesome zookeepers – the usual.”
“Well, since people keep asking me … I guess you could say I had a pretty good weekend. Ate plenty of alfalfa, hung out with my awesome zookeepers – the usual.
Today, I’m spending some time practicing my best strut in the sunshine. Why’s everyone so curious anyway?” @CamelBoston pic.twitter.com/Ck3fuqUVCp— Zoo New England (@zoonewengland) March 26, 2018
On Monday, The Boston Globe published archived audio of the police scanner traffic Saturday night, in which a Boston police officer says “someone called the base saying that a camel escaped” and was blocking traffic at the zoo-adjacent intersection of Seaver Street and Blue Hill Avenue. A dispatcher can be heard suggesting the officer “check it out.”
“One hump or two?” another officer asks in the recording.
For the record, Zowie, who is a Bactrian camel, has two humps.
Wardrop noted that Bactrian camels are native to isolated areas of the Gobi desert in Mongolia and China and are built for harsh climates with extreme temperatures. So if Zowie ever does escape, she’ll probably be ready for Boston.
