World News for Students of English

03-04-2014 15:00

Simon Grant from North Yorkshire has a very special friend. It’s not an old school mate, not even a dog – no, it’s an 11 foot camel called Jeffrey.

Jeffrey is originally from Russia and is thought to be the UK’s only pet camel. He arrived in the country from Holland seven years ago and was originally brought over as a birthday present for Simon’s son Tom.

“C’mon then! Come on, Jeff. That a fella. Who’s a big fella?”

Simon brings treats most days, usually carrots, but once or twice a week, he gets something extra special – beer! Yes, you heard right, beer! So where did the idea come from?

“Well, I was talking to a camel expert, and he said they just love beer. You know, so I thought, well why not try it? Let’s give it a go. He loves it. He can’t get enough of it. He drinks more than me.”

Jeffrey is a Bactrian camel, recognizable by his twin humps, and he can survive in temperatures of around minus 25 degrees Celsius. This breed of camel can live up until the age of around 60, so the Grants could have many more happy years ahead with their favourite pet. And if he does reach that landmark birthday, we know what tipple they’ll be toasting with.

Difficult words: mate (friend), fella (man), treat (food that tastes good), hump (raised part on the back of a camel), breed (type of animal), landmark (important), tipple (alcoholic drink), toast (say something nice and have a drink).

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