The camels who lived and died in Central Park

This little camel appears to be roaming the park freely. Perhaps he was an attraction and gave rides to kids. Or he may have been one of the resident camels of the menagerie in Central Park in the late 1800s. 

Camels were popular at the menagerie, and they got lots of attention in the press; newspapers updated New Yorkers on when new camels came to the park, when a baby camel was born, and when a beloved camel died—like Volstead, who perished in 1930 at age 14.

“Volstead, who was born in the zoo here, was the last of the male camels of the Central Park herd,” a New York Times article stated. “He is survived by his mate, Jeanette, and his 11-months-old offspring, Jeannette 2nd. The grief of the survivors was described by head keeper Robert Hurton as acute.”

Tags: Camel rides in central park, Camels in Central Park, Camels in the Central Park Zoo, Volstead the camel