A CAMEL who was a well-known figure to motorists passing his North Yorkshire field, has died.

Kevin the camel had become an attraction in his own right at Mainsgill Farm Shop, just off the A66 near Richmond.

The two-humped Bactrian camel had been at the farm of Mike and Maria Henshaw for more than ten years.

The Mongolian animal would recognise customers and had a habit of walking the Henshaw children to the school bus on a morning.

Since his death a couple of weeks ago, the farm shop has been receiving emails and phone calls from concerned customers, including a haulage company which regularly used the A66 and wanted to know where he was.

Mrs Henshaw said: “He wasn’t very well unfortunately, he just died. It was a bit of a shock.

“My children were upset. He used to walk them up to the school bus when they went to catch it on the A66, he would walk up the roadside next to them. He would also recognise customers. If there was a group of people around him but someone he knew walked across the car park, he would look across to them. He was quite a character.”

The species originate from the Gobi deserts of Mongolia and can withstand temperatures of extreme cold and hot, between -125C and 35C.

Mrs Henshaw said the camel had died just as they had found him a mate. She revealed that although Kevin will never be replaced, motorists may soon spot the ungainly humps of more ships of the desert in their North Yorkshire fields.

She said: “We had been looking for a female friend for him. We just had one lined up for him. We can never replace Kevin but we have got some more camels coming.”