Pet camel named Jeffrey loves beer

A camel is not the most conventional gift for a teenage boy from Yorkshire. Nor is feeding said camel a pint of beer.

Not Jeffrey, but an example of a Bactrian Camel in Cologne Zoo.

But that is exactly what booze-loving Jeffrey the camel, given to Yorkshire teen Tom Grant on his 19th birthday, loves most, according to a report by the Yorkshire Post.  

Jeffrey was imported from Holland seven years ago after the teen’s mother, Elizabeth Grant, decided to forego socks and aftershave for a more memorable gift telling the Yorkshire Post: “He happened to mention in passing that he liked camels and I managed to track one down.”

“He definitely wasn’t expecting that – It was quite a surprise.”

Jeffrey, who lives with the family on their 50-acre property in Easingwold which is also home to horses, llamas, geese, goats, Murphy the donkey, Bertie the sheep, two pigs named Bangers and Mash, seven dogs, nine cats and three Highland cattle, requires a wild animal licence and could be Britain’s only pet camel.

Standing at 11ft Jeffrey, who is a Russian camel, sits and stands on command, responds to his name and loves nothing more than downing a few bottles of lager including Budweiser and Coors from the local pub.

Elizabeth told the Yorkshire Post: “I read that camels like beer so I thought I’d see if Jeffrey did and he loves it.

“Stuart at the Rose and Crown at Sutton-on-the-Forest cleans the lines out on Saturdays and he brings the beer up here for Jeffrey and we put it in his feed. His other favourite treat is carrots.”

The mother of two said Jeffrey only cries when he is separated from his friends, Highland cow Princess and her twins Gavin and Stacey.

She said: “We thought he’d like to be with the llamas as they’re from the camelid family but he hates them. He loves his cows and they love him. He is adorable and just looking at him makes you smile.”