A Camel’s Transformation
A camel has been granted a “new lease of life” thanks to a cobbler who was tasked with creating custom shoes for him.
The Unusual Request
Earlier this year, Stuart Moss from Mossy’s Shoe Repairs in Salisbury, Wiltshire, received an unexpected phone call asking him to make shoes for one of Lady Chichester’s camels. Timujin, the 27-year-old camel, was struggling to walk due to a stretched tendon in one of his hind legs.
A Skeptical Beginning
“I’ve never been asked to make a pair of shoes for a camel before, and I don’t think I ever will again,” Mr. Moss recalled. Initially, he thought the request was a prank, but after speaking with Lady Chichester, he realized it was a serious situation.
Meeting Timujin
Mr. Moss visited Timujin at Little Durnford Manor, the estate owned by the Earl of Chichester, where other animals such as alpacas, goats, and horses also reside. Upon meeting Timujin, Mr. Moss described the experience as “harrowing.”
Addressing the Injury
“The tendons in the back of his legs had stretched, so instead of walking on his pads, he was walking on the actual backs of his legs,” he explained. “He was in considerable pain and could barely walk. It’s not pleasant to see anyone or anything in pain like that—I didn’t quite know what to do, to be honest.”
Crafting the Shoes
To create the shoes, Mr. Moss filled two washing-up bowls with kinetic sand to take imprints of Timujin’s feet, which he would later fill with plaster. Once the shapes were prepared, Mr. Moss and his colleague Michelle crafted boots using leather, memory foam, and a rubber sole.
A Remarkable Recovery
“Once I actually put the shoes on him, he started walking, and it was unbelievable,” Mr. Moss said. He returned to check on Timujin a couple of weeks later and was thrilled to see the camel thriving. “It’s brilliant—it’s given him a new lease of life,” he added. “He’s now strutting around with the rest of the camels, proud as punch.”