A Christmas camel at a northwest Houston megachurch did more than stroll down the aisle. Newly released federal inspection records say a 14-year-old dromedary kicked an audience member during Champion Forest Baptist Church’s Christmas Spectacular, apparently knocking the woman unconscious and sending her to a hospital for evaluation and treatment. The incident led to a federal safety citation for the company that supplied the animals, and animal-welfare advocates are now urging the church to rethink its live-animal tradition.
USDA Inspection Flags Critical Handling Lapse
According to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, inspectors reviewed video of the Dec. 13, 2025, incident and concluded the camel struck an attendee while being led down an aisle. The report, prepared by veterinary medical officer Gervais Edmonds-Wiggins, faults the exhibitor for allowing the animal to be too close to the audience, citing a lack of sufficient distance or barriers between animals and the viewing public as the basis for a 2.131(c)(1) “Critical” finding. The exhibitor was given a Jan. 8 deadline to correct the problem, as detailed in DocumentCloud.
Church Response And Christmas Show Context
Champion Forest told the Houston Chronicle it “regrets that this happened” and said staff stopped walking animals within the audience seating areas for the rest of the production’s run, according to the Houston Chronicle. The Christmas Spectacular is a multi-day, 90-minute holiday show featuring aerial performers and live animals that draws large crowds each year. The Chronicle also reports that the exhibitor’s director did not respond to requests for comment after the federal inspection.
Animal-Welfare Groups Press For Change
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says it filed a complaint with the USDA before inspectors formally identified the critical concern and that on Feb. 12 it sent a letter to Senior Pastor Jarrett Stephens urging Champion Forest to end its relationship with the exhibitor, according to a PETA press release. PETA’s captive-wildlife advocacy team called the incident predictable and warned it would escalate its outreach if the church declines to cut ties. PETA includes in its statement both the letter sent to the pastor and the group’s account of its complaint to federal authorities.
Regulatory Follow-Up And Unanswered Questions
The APHIS document identifies Trunks and Humps Inc. as the licensee cited in the focused inspection and lists the company’s Cut-and-Shoot mailing address. The agency gave the exhibitor until Jan. 8 to address the handling and barrier deficiencies. The Houston Chronicle reports that Trunks and Humps has been registered with state authorities for decades, and the paper notes the exhibitor’s director did not respond to questions about the inspection. DocumentCloud lays out the correction timeline but does not indicate whether APHIS took additional enforcement steps after the deadline…