UPTOWN - A camel that become startled at the Shrine Circus yesterday blamed his actions on several factors, including injury and heat.
At a post-show news conference, Bigby the camel said he had hurt his elbow in a previous appearance in Cleveland. "I thought throughout the week that my backup might have to perform instead," Bibgy said. "But I feel like I need to carry the whole circus on my back. I thought I could tough it out."
Later, some of the other camels said Bigby frequently exaggerates his injuries to the press, and they privately call him a "drama llama."
Bigby also said conditions inside the PPG Paints Arena didn't help him. "It was hot out there," Bigby claimed. "I was exhausted, and the other guys were worn down. They're all running around out there all day. It just got to be too much."
Ringmaster Mike Thompson acknowledged that it was "A disappointing performance. It wasn't good enough, and we got a lot of work to do. Fortunately, we have an extra day of prep before our next show, so we'll try to clean things up and move on."
Bigby agreed. "I think my elbow will heal, and heat shouldn't be a factor going forward," he said. "Our next two performances are at night."
