2 humps, a scraggly coat and lock-picking lips: Mayhem the camel is turning heads in the Okanagan
CBC
For as long as she can remember, Alysha Bartlett has been fascinated by camels.
Growing up in a family that raised Arabian horses, she always felt the two species went hand in hand. Her family even had a camel saddle and camel-themed artwork displayed in their home.
But it wasn't until she met her current partner that her dream to own one of the animals came true.
"He understood my fascination," Bartlett said of her partner, Alex Schlosser.
"He said, 'One day I'm gonna get you a camel.' I said, 'Oh, that's great, babe.'"
He never let go of that promise.
The couple, along with Bartlett's 14-year-old son, Kye McGreal, moved to B.C.'s North Okanagan in March 2022. Once on their new property in Lavington — about 64 kilometres north of Kelowna, just east of Vernon, B.C. — they got set up with horses.
Then, during a visit to Alberta earlier this year, Bartlett says her partner encouraged her to reach out to a couple they had seen advertising a camel on Facebook Marketplace.
"They graciously invited us to their home and then the rest was kind of history," she said.
Bartlett and her partner fell in love with the white, eight-month-old Bactrian camel, named Mayhem, whom they brought home a week later. The breeders shared their knowledge on how to raise and care for camels, and Bartlett says she did her own research as well.
"They've been so supportive of us, giving us all the tips and tricks," she said.
The B.C. government regulates the sale and possession of a number of exotic animals, but camels are not on the Controlled Alien Species list.
Bartlett declined to say how much Mayhem cost — just that he was "expensive" and she couldn't have afforded it on her own.
"I couldn't be happier. He brings us so much joy," she said.
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