Have you ever seen a camel at the post office? Shoppers in New Era, Michigan, got the chance to do just that.
What makes a day of errands a little less onerous? Bringing a camel along, of course.
Jeffrey the camel needed to be weighed, so his owner, Scott Lewis, decided to bring him into town from the farm in New Era, Michigan, where they both live. Lewis said he adopted Jeffrey went he was just 3 months old, and he hasn't been off the farm in more than a decade.
The first step was learning to get in and out of a trailer, which Jeffrey, 11, mastered with the help of Lewis, 50, and a camel trainer. Then it was time to hit the road.
"We decided that we would bring him on a little road trip," Lewis told InsideEdition.com.
After weighing in at a svelte 1,400 pounds at a local feed store, Jeffrey wandered around New Era, visiting the post office, a gas station, a car dealership, a nail salon, a dentist and a yoga studio.
"People were everywhere, cars were pulling over left and right. Something about bringing a camel out in public really gets people's attention," Lewis said.
Jeffrey also browsed the aisles at the Muskegon PetSmart, stopping to let new friends rub his furry snout.
"PetSmart allows pets to come in on a leash," Lewis explained. "I think he thinks he's more of a dog than a camel, so he absolutely loved it when we went out on the road trip."
When he's not hobnobbing around town, Jeffrey lives with more than 75 other animals — including lemurs and wallabies — at Lewis Farms and Petting Zoo. He's something of a celebrity on the farm, Lewis said, and he has a big birthday party every August, complete with cake.
While guests aren't allowed to ride Jeffrey, they do enjoy spending time with him — as does Lewis.
"He's a stress reliever for me," Lewis explained. "He just makes you feel better when you're around him. A lot of people come and sit in front of his pen and just watch him. He's very quiet, you know they don't talk that much, but he's really laid back."
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