Camel Flees Nativity Scene, Freely Roams Kansas Town

A camel has safely been returned to its owners after fleeing a nativity scene in a small Kansas town, the Bonner Springs Police Department shared in an Instagram post on Sunday.

"If you've heard the unbelievable tales, let us tell you that they are true! Officers and Animal Control spent the entire day chasing down a loose camel," the BSPD captioned a series of photos of the humpbacked perpetrator, detailing the great lengths officials took to track down the animal.

"This morning, officers took to the golf courses in pursuit of the camel (on golf carts no less)," the captioned continued. After taking a "leisurely jaunt" down the highway and into some neighborhoods, officers finally caught up to the four-legged runaway, and it was "safely 'taken into custody' by lasso."

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"The camel was reunited with its owners and will go back to doing camel things," the post concluded.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Bonner Springs Police Department for additional comment, but has not heard back by the time of publication.

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Officers told local news outlet Fox4 Kansas City that the camel's halter broke while on display at the Agriculture Hall of Fame's nativity scene on Saturday night.

While it's not unusual for stray animals to roam Bonner Springs, which has a population of just under 8,000, it's not too often that residents of the small town see a camel freely cruising the streets.

"Usually the most unusual is cattle and horses — a camel is a little bit on the different side," Sgt. Heather Pate, a public information officer for the police department, told The Kansas City Star, adding, "We learned that camels can run 40 MPH."

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