What do a camel, a cow, and a donkey have in common at this time of year? With Christmas just over a month away, this usually unlikely trio has already brought great joy to residents of one Midwestern town. The three were spotted roaming together along a Kansas road in a grouping similar to a Christmas Nativity scene.
On Sunday, the Goddard (Kansas) Police Department asked the public for help. Officers were trying to locate the owners of the “three friends traveling together (towards a Northern star) just east of Goddard.”
Goddard police posted a photo on Facebook. The post mentioned that if police couldn’t find the owners, they would be “halfway toward a live Nativity this Christmas season.”
That got the ball rolling for some clever chatter about the comic scene. Over 1,000 people shared the animal post. Nearly 200 commented on it. One person who replied to the Facebook post inquired, “Are there 3 wise-looking men near?” Another called the scene “a Christmas miracle.” Still another reminded everyone of the well-known Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale, saying, “Are they carrying musical instruments? Slightly German accents? If so, they’re from Bremen Town.”
A few people came up with names for the trio: Love, Joy, Peace and Gold, Frankincense, Myrrh were popular options. Most commenters said the lighthearted post made their days.
Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Lt. Tim Meyers says the department eventually figured out that the animals belong to an employee of the nearby Tanganyika Wildlife Park. They helped the animals get home for the holidays.
It’s wonderful that people’s thoughts often turn toward the Nativity (the birth of Jesus) at this time of year. What other examples of people’s awareness of the Christmas holiday being about Jesus—not just gifts and festivity—have you heard so far this season?
(This November 17, 2019, photo shows a camel, donkey, and a cow roaming together along a road near Goddard, Kansas. Devon Keith/Goddard Police Department via AP)
