Falling Camel Steals the Show in Florida Church Christmas Pageant

Actually, the cast was fine, but a few members of the audience nearly required casts of an altogether different sort, after a hired camel fell onto them during a procession down the church's aisle.

What happened to the clumsy camel at First Baptist Church?

Lula Bell, a statuesque beauty rented from Animals in Motion (of Citra, Florida), had been trained to halt and kneel in the church's aisle at a critical moment during the pageant, titled "Project Christmas." However, in the dress rehearsal, held on Thursday evening, December 10^th, however, the camel stumbled and fell on her right side - right across several church pews.

Lula Bell's camel rider, one of the nativity play's three wise men (or magi), was dismounted into the crowd. (CTRL-click here to view video footage, shot by an attendee at the First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach, Florida, in a new internet window.)

The 1,000-pound camel's clumsiness has been attributed to a possible past knee injury, although the animal rental company has not confirmed this diagnosis. Onlookers speculated that the South Florida nativity play might have been the camel's first public performance, and she may have suffered from stage fright, although an Animals in Motion trainer was leading her.

After the unfortunate incident, the staff of West Palm Beach's First Baptist Church announced plans to remove the camel from the weekend program, scheduled to run through Sunday, December 12^th. However, other live animals were still on deck for the Christmas pageant, including a donkey and several lambs and sheep.

Animal rights campaigners on alert.

Fortunately, no one was actually injured in the camel catastrophe, including Lula Bell. The fallen camel rose to her feet and walked again. Call it a Christmas miracle, if you will.

However, several animal rights activists are spitting mad over the incident.

Groups like Change.org, for example, have begun circulating online petitions, calling for a halt to the use of live animals in nativity plays and Christmas pageants. "Live animals should not be used for entertainment," said a statement on the Change.org website. "Animals used in productions suffer from high stress, anxiety and fear."

According to Change.org, the Animals in Motion company has faced charges of animal cruelty and selling protected species in the past.

Should live animals be included in church or theatrical productions?

This knotty question arises perennially, as religious and entertainment organizations plan and perform special programs. Professional performers, such as Medieval Knights and Cavalia, focus their events on highly trained equines. Circuses, rodeos, renaissance fairs and parades regularly include animals as central figures in their popular performances. Children's birthday parties and autumn harvest festivals often feature pony rides, petting zoos and other animal entertainment.

Of course, many lay people perhaps do not grasp the level of training and potential risks (to both animals and audiences) that may be involved in employing live animals in public performances.

As a horse and animal owner, I have fielded frequent personal requests for the use of my own show horses in church and community events and for birthday party entertainment. Teachers, pastors and scout leaders have asked to borrow my horses for special events. Across the board, I have denied every query.

The liability would be overwhelming, particularly with my younger, more spirited mounts. (Please, don't ask.)

Unless skilled and seasoned trainers are involved (and even if they are), very real dangers do exist in the use of live animals for public events. Horses can buck, kick or rear. Dogs may bite. Goats may butt. Camels may spit - or even fall over onto people.

West Palm Beach's First Baptist Church is fortunate. Senior Pastor Jimmy Scroggins and his staff probably held a special prayer meeting, just to offer thanks that no one was injured during their Christmas pageant dress rehearsal on December 11^th. As well they should.