Adult dromedary camel Shock Top takes a break in the shade.
A 7-foot-tall camel isn’t exactly what you would expect to greet you as you walk through the gates at the San Mateo County Fair but domestic dromedaries are as natural a companion as dogs or horses for Pacific Northwest Camels.
The Oregon-based company is offering $10 camel rides to fair visitors, letting them get up close and personal with the animals. Located next to the fair farm, they are one of several animal attractions at this year’s fair.
PNC owner Kyle McGranahan has been working with camels for 18 years, ever since a friend bought one and asked him to train it.
“I fell in love with it,” he said. “So I went home and sold my horses and started buying camels.”
McGranahan has brought his eight camels across the western United States, going as far as Wyoming and Montana. The camels give more than just rides. Throughout December, they perform nativity scenes for churches. They also attend the occasional wedding, birthday or nonprofit event, and are even used as therapy animals at senior centers.
There were four camels in attendance on Thursday, including two adults and two babies, or calves. The calves, Maverick and Goose, watch you curiously and let out an occasional bellow or grunt. The adults, Diamond and Shock Top, look dignified as they wait for their next riders. The huge animals are intimidating at first glance, but they’re pleased to let you pat their noses or scratch their heads.
“This is what I’m going to do for the rest of my life,” PNC employee Alex Ortega said. “[Camels are] just super sweet, super amazing [...] very smart.”
The domestic camel community is tight-knit, but expansive. McGranahan has met people from across the world through his work, and knows camel celebrities such as the voice of Chewbacca and the Geico camel (whose name is Caleb).
There are an estimated 4,300 domestic camels in the country, every one of them born and raised here, McGranahan said. Camel trainers share tips and videos online, Ortega said, and have a wealth of knowledge about the animals.
The camel rides offered a new experience for visitors. Both grinning toddlers and nervous adults went for rides, many pausing for a $5 souvenir photo. Riding a camel can be less like riding a horse and more like piloting a tall, friendly boat. Their swaying gait earns them the nickname “ships of the desert.” A raised platform allows the rider to mount and dismount, since dromedary camels can stand taller than an adult human at shoulder height.
Pacific Northwest Camels will be offering rides through the end of the fair June 12.
“We’re putting smiles on people’s faces, one hump at a time,” McGranahan said. “Dromedary style.”
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