UTICA, N.Y. -- Valentine's Day is coming up and some animals at the Utica Zoo seem to be feeling the love, including their Bactrian Camel and her new companion.
"I don't think there's a better love story in the Zoo right now," said Utica Zoo Director of Animal Operations Pearl Yusuf.
It's been a rough few months for 11-year-old Bactrian Camel, Najla, who lost her companion last September.
"[She was] a little less interested in food, a little less responsive to the keepers as they talked to her," Yusuf said. "She didn't get ill or anything but you could see a change in her. Part of her life was missing."
That changed a few weeks ago when the Utica Zoo got Najla a new companion. The two camels seem to be a pretty good match so far. Najla's attitude has already improved and the new camel seems to like her quite a bit too.
"When he walked out of [the trailer] and met Najla for the first time, and she met him, just all of the just explosion of behaviors that were seen in the contact between them was just text book of everything that camels in breeding season should be doing," Yusuf said.
That positive introduction was a relief, but zoo members hadn't planned on buying a new male camel when they released their master plan. Now they're trying to raise about $15,000 to make up for what they had to pay.
"We were eager to get her another companion as soon as possible, you never replace the one that you lose, but when you have a social animal you never want them to be alone if you can avoid it," Yusuf said.
The new camel hasn't been named yet. Yusuf said they may give it a name that has to do with Utica.
So far, more than $10,000 has been raised to cover the cost of the new camel.
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