Cedar Point, a roller-coaster park in Ohio featuring 68 rides, provided an unexpected thrill for visitors when two camels escaped from its petting zoo and roamed freely through the amusement park.
The camels, named Sampson and Artie, according to 3News, were captured on video by parkgoer Justin Garcia, who was visiting with his family.
The video shows one camel charging at a person, forcing them to jump out of the way.
“That dude almost died,” a voice says in the video.
The camels calmed down after a moment, as onlookers kept their distance. Some attendees even jumped into pens to escape.
“The camels are out!” a child laughed, while another person wondered aloud, “How did they get out?”
“We were almost trampled by two massive mammals,” Garcia told Storyful, per Fox News. “We put some space in between us and watched the aftermath of what could have been a very dangerous situation.”
Tony Clark, a spokesperson for Cedar Point, confirmed in an email, per 3News, that the camels had escaped but were quickly returned without injury.
“The camels decided to take an unplanned stroll just outside their home at The Barnyard (our ‘petting zoo’ area on the Frontier Trail) but were quickly returned,” Clark said. “We’re looking into how they made it to the midway.”
It is unclear exactly how the animals escaped their enclosure.
PETA issued a statement calling on authorities to hold Cedar Point accountable and to check on the well-being of the animals.
“PETA is calling on federal authorities to hold Honey Hill Farm accountable for failing to protect these frightened animals — and members of the public who were endangered during their attempts to flee — and urges people everywhere to steer clear of seedy enterprises that exploit vulnerable animals,” the statement read.