Tunisia as we recently discovered by their beautiful can designs, seems to be a loadstone of Coca-Cola related paranormal activity.  For now our intrepid reporter has found a camel renowned for its love of Coke.  It chugs the stuff down in one swig!

This magical creature resides in a zoo in the oasis city of Tozeur in Tunisa where it has earned a reputation for being the only Coke chugging camel in existence.  I’m not sure if that’s true but I’m willing to take their word for it.

How the Camel Looks
Upon entering the zoo you can easily see the massive dromedary standing among various African birds and mammals. “Could this really be the Coke drinking camel?” I thought to myself.  His teeth weren’t missing.  He wasn’t all hepped up on caffeine, nor was he morbidly obese and suffering from Type 2 diabetes.

As I gazed at the majestic beast, a zookeeper walked up carrying a big bottle of Coke.  Feeding time!

Really Drinks It… With Authority
The keeper opened a hatch in the camel’s pen and put the bottle into his mouth, which wasn’t hard as he bee-lined for the sugary brown beverage. Once the camel got ahold of the bottle he lifted his head straight up and downed the whole thing without missing a beat.

It didn’t look like one of those dancing bear tricks either where the animal is actually miserable inside.  This guy really looks into the great taste of Coke – kind of made me want to have one.  After he was finished he slammed the bottle down as if to say, “Wha? Wha? Come at me bra.”  Very hardcore, Mr. Camel.

It’s into Coca-Cola Light
I made the same mistake many do when defining soda, pop, fizzy drinks, etc. and simply labeled what the camel likes as “Coke.”  In fact this camel likes to drink Coca-Cola Light. Apparently he hasn’t read about the hidden dangers of artificial sweeteners.

Oddly enough the camel refuses to drink Pepsi.  Therefore, even in the animal kingdom, cola drinkers have a bias towards one of two brands that taste almost exactly the same.

Star of the Zoo
Keeping a camel supplied with cola can be an expensive ordeal compared to the traditional water.  The zoo augments this cost by buying large 1L bottles in bulk and only giving the camel a portion at a time.

You might think it’s cruel to feed a camel a people-drink like Coke.  I’m no camel doctor, but it looked in good health and certainly enjoys drinking it.  He also seems to be enjoying his long stint as the star attraction of this zoo. An honor few camels get in those parts.

“He thinks he’s so big.”

“…”

[ Read in Japanese ]