Camel Given To Francois Hollande Put In A Stew

The two-humped camel ended up in the pot

 

A camel given to the French president Francois Hollande to thank him for liberating Mali has been eaten.

The animal was killed and put in a stew by a family in Timbuktu after he entrusted them with its care.
Mr Hollande was given the camel during his visit in February after sending troops to help fight al Qaeda-backed rebels.
He joked at the time he could use it to get about the traffic-clogged streets of Paris.
The president had intended to have it vaccinated and transported back to France to put in a zoo but eventually he gave it to a local family to look after.
However, the lure of the young camel proved to be too much for its carers - and they ate it.

Francois Hollande receives gifts on his February visit to Mali

News of the animal's passing was broken to the president by Jean-Yves Le Drian, his defence minister, who had apparently been tasked with providing updates on its progress, according to Valeurs Actuelles, a French magazine.
Embarrassed Malian authorities have now promised Mr Hollande a new camel and will have it sent to France.
A local government official in northern Mali said: "As soon as we heard of this, we quickly replaced it with a bigger and better-looking camel.
"The new camel will be sent to Paris. We are ashamed of what happened to the camel. It was a present that did not deserve this fate."
The gift had already proved contentious after a man from the region claimed the animal had been stolen from him.