Green Chimney’s Welcomes Two Camels Into the Family

Green Chimneys in Brewster is known for its menagerie of farm animals and birds of prey.

Last week, the school that was founded on the principle of helping children with emotional, behavioral, social and learning challenges through the care, appreciation and interaction with animals, welcomed two camels, Phoenix and Sage, who will make the farm at Green Chimneys their new home.

The idea to bring camels to the farm was first inspired when Director of Farm and Wildlife Michael Kaufmann attended a professional conference in Europe and learned about the special therapeutic value of camels.

Upon his return, he looked into bringing camels to Green Chimneys, but only if it could be done in a way that fit with the school’s philosophy that all beings, including the animals at the farm, are treated with compassion and dignity.

“We had to find a reputable place to give us the camels,” Kaufmann said. “We wanted to do it in a ethical way.”

The search led him to Sacred Camels in California that is run by Stuart Camps, who has been working with camels for 18 years.

“I decided not to sell them but consciously give them to places where it was ensured they went into circumstances where they would be cared for,” Camps said of gifting Phoenix and Sage to Green Chimneys; the first of many times he said he intends to do so.

Camps traveled with the 2-year-old camels by truck and trailer on a seven-day journey across the United States from the West Coast to Putnam County.

Two days after the camels had arrived, Green Chimney’s veterinarians, farm staff and teachers gathered in the camels’ new pasture and pet the animals as they quizzed Camps on everything camel.

Farm teacher Jenna Jasensky asked Camps about the need for another water trough to be put out in the pasture, as the camels showed a bit of dehydration after their long journey – something that might run contrary to the misguided belief that camels’ humps store water.

“It’s not water, it’s just fat,” Jasensky said.

Camels are domesticated animals who bond with their keepers. Camps had plans to stay for a few days while the camels adjusted, but since his departure will be felt deeply by the animals, Green Chimney’s Horse Stable Manager Samantha Hough and Livestock Manager Maggie Sackrider planned to be at Phoenix’s and Sage’s sides at all times in order to create a new bond.

“They are very relationship based. Now they have us to rely on,” Hough and Sackrider said.

The day before, students at the school had visited the camels and were extremely excited about their arrival, Kaufmann said.

The horses at the farm are ridden by the students, who will also be able to ride the camels, which have a special skill to help the kids hop on.

“If we wanted to, we could have them doing it by the end of the day,” Camps said of training the camels to kneel down to the ground.

But not everyone at the farm was entirely thrilled at the camels’ arrival

Nova the Emu had to be moved from his pen next to Phoenix’s and Sage’s new pasture, allowing him some time to acclimate to his new farm neighbors.

Weeks before the camels arrived, the students had been doing classroom projects centered around camels, including paintings and drawings that were displayed in window of one of the facility’s buildings.

Another project done by a particular group of students who came to this country as infants or toddlers from Eastern Block countries in Europe, yielded letters the children had written to Phoenix and Sage that they presented to Kaufmann.

One of the letters read: “Dear Phoenix and Sage, Guess what? I had to come to a new place, too. First in my life, I lived in Russia. Then I came to N.Y. Just remember, I had no choice, too. So, we will take very good care of you. It is very different though, so you can be scared if you want to. I can’t wait to meet you.”

“This is the reason why we all work here,” Kaufmann said of the connection and caring between students and camels that had so quickly taken hold.

The public can visit Green Chimneys for a free self-guided tour of the farm from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Groups of more than six must make special arrangements to the visit the farm.

For more information, go to www.greenchimneys.org.