French president to get new Mali camel
Mali is to send the French president a replacement camel after the first, given to him as a gift, was eaten. Francois Hollande had left the camel with a family in Timbuktu for safekeeping, after it was presented to him by local residents in February. But it was promptly slaughtered and used in a local dish, tagine. During the young camel's handover ceremony, Hollande had joked about using as a means of transport in Paris traffic jams. French officials had originally planned to transport the animal to a zoo in France, but because of the complex logistics, it was decided instead to entrust the beast to a local family. The French defence minister informed the president of the camel's death during a recent cabinet meeting.
