Juan Caride, a 65-year-old farm owner from Delaware known for his love of animals, died last week in an accident involving one of his camels. The incident occurred when the camel fell on Caride while he was tending to it, according to a spokesperson for the Delaware State Police. The accident has deeply affected his family and friends.
Caride, who also owned a local pawn shop, operated a 50-acre farm in Felton. The farm was home to 20 horses, nine donkeys, and three camels named Bubbles, Chocolate, and Batman. Caride's wife, Toni, had raised the camels since they were young calves and previously described them as having "really nice personalities" and being "loveable" animals.
The idea to start the camel herd originated with Juan Caride. He initially purchased Batman, the camel involved in the fatal incident, as a companion for a single camel they already owned. "He was about a week old when we got him, and we felt that he was lonely," Toni Caride explained in a past interview. "So, he said I better get a couple more for him. So we went and found two females that were the same age and we got those for him."
Friends and family have described Juan and Toni Caride as "real beautiful" people. One individual, who considered Caride a brother, shared that one of Caride's last words to him were, "I love you."