By Jo McMullen / KVSC reporter

A camel bit two men in the head Wednesday afternoon at a zoo in Freeport, with one man being dragged 15 feet in the incident.

Around 2:45 p.m. the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an animal bite at the Hemker Park and Zoo. The zoo is located a few miles outside the city of Freeport.

The victims are employees of the zoo. Thirty-two-year-old Roger Blenker of Albany was moving the camel through an alleyway, getting it ready to be taken to another facility. While trying to move the camel, it grabbed and bit Blenker’s head and it then dragged him by the head approximately fifteen feet.

A second employee 32-year-old Seth Wickson from Texas was able to intervene in the situation. Wickson placed a plastic walking board into the camel’s mouth to release its bite from Blenker’s head. After being released, Blenker stood on his own and ran to a safe location. The camel then charged at Wickson and bit his head. He was also able to get to a safe location on his own and he refused any medical treatment.

A Life Link helicopter took Blenker to the St. Cloud Hospital and his injuries are not known at this time. The Sheriff’s Office got help from Melrose Ambulance and the Freeport Fire Department. The incident remains under investigation.

The zoo remains open to the public.