A man forked out £19,000 on a 1,700lb pet camel called Mayhem because his wife kept asking him for one.
For other husbands their partners may ask for jewellery or a new car – but for Alex Downey, his wife, Alysha’s, true desire came in the form of a 5ft9 camel.
So the 37-year-old spent £19,000 on Mayhem – who costs around £370 a month to look after.
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Now Mayhem is the latest addition to the family after what started as a joke turned into a passion for one of man’s oldest helpers.
“It wasn’t something I ever really planned,” Alex, from Lavington, Canada, told Whats The Jam.
“I used to work in Saudi Arabia, and my wife has loved camels since she was a kid.
“She always joked that I should bring her one home, and every time I came back, she’d ask, ‘Did you bring my camel yet?’.”
In 2023, the joke became a reality – when one came up for sale at a local spot where a couple had been raising camels for years.
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The pair stopped by in order to get their fence fixed for the animals, which led to Alysha being completely breathtaken by them.
At the time Mayhem was living at the property with his father Stretch which the farm owner said looked like a ‘dinosaur’.
He said: “He honestly looked like a dinosaur to me, just towering over everything.
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“As much as I was taken with Mayhem, I was pretty blown away by his dad too.
“I remember looking over at my wife, who had always wanted a camel, and thinking.
“I think I want a camel too.”
Five days later, the Alex and Alysha went back to Sylvan Lake, Alberta, and purchased Mayhem from Al and Terry Deutsch.
The 1,700lbs now lives on their farmland where he has access to a huge pasture, fresh water and plenty of hay.
Despite keeping other animals such as horses, goats and dogs – who Mayhem has bonded with – the camel requires an extra bit of dedication.
Alex said: “Camels are incredibly intelligent, lovable, and really interesting animals.
“They’re often associated with being aggressive or mean, and while that can be true in some cases, I think it depends a lot on the individual animal and how they’re handled.
“Mayhem, for example, doesn’t spit, and he’s been given a lot of time and positive interaction, which I think makes a big difference.
“At the same time, I never forget that he’s a large animal and deserves respect.
“He’s over 1,700 pounds, so you always stay aware and read the situation.
“But it’s been really rewarding to see what you can build with that kind of animal.
“We’ve even taught him to lay down on command, ‘kush’, which is something pretty special.”
The married couple who own KalCam Farms even let members of the public come and meet him.
Their annual Mayhem Mother’s Day event costs a small donation where families can come and meet the huge camel.
Despite Mayhem being adopted by the mixed herd on the farm, the couple’s next goal is to find him a lover.
Alex said: “We’ve got horses, goats, cats, and dogs here on the farm, along with neighboring alpacas and a horse next door he’s friends with.
“Mayhem’s grown up around them all, so he sees them as part of his herd.
“It’s also a bit of a goal for us to eventually find a female camel for him.
“We wanted to see how we did with Mayhem first, as we were new to cameleering, and now it’s something we’re working toward.”
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