A very special guest returns to George Washington’s Mount Vernon for the holidays. Aladdin is a 16-year-old dromedary camel who has wooed the crowds every Christmas since he was 11 months old.
“I think he enjoys being out with the guests. He tends to perk up when people come around him, and our livestock team checks on him several times per day. He’s really become part of the Mount Vernon family,” says Matt Briney, the vice president of media and communications at Mount Vernon.
Guests can stop by to greet Aladdin at the 12-acre field on the grounds and listen in on a Camel Talk, where one of Mount Vernon’s historic reenactors discusses Washington’s relationship with camels and the roles they played in the 18th century.
Back in 1787, Washington paid 18 shillings to bring a camel to Mount Vernon to entertain a crowd around Christmastime. It was common back then for entertainers to travel with rare attractions, and Washington enjoyed seeing both rare and domestic animals when the opportunity arose, according to Mount Vernon’s website.
Aladdin sleeps in a barn at Mount Vernon, and he gets lots of attention from the estate’s livestock team. It takes roughly 4 to 6 pounds of grain per day to keep the 7-foot-tall, 1,400-pound creature fed, plus a daily “sweet feed” with molasses to satisfy his notorious sweet tooth.
There’s no need to worry about Aladdin out in the cold. He’s lived in Virginia his whole life. And camels are equipped to handle both extreme heat and extreme cold, so snow and wind don’t bother him.
When he’s not on duty as the resident bringer of Christmas joy, the one-hump camel lives on a farm in Berryville. He’s pretty popular year-round. People have requested Aladdin for parties and corporate events, including Geico events during its “Hump Day” campaign. (No, he wasn’t in the commercials.)
Fans of Aladdin can take home keepsakes from Mount Vernon’s gift shop. The children’s book Mount Vernon’s Magnificent Menagerie and the Very Mysterious Guest features the camel, and fans can buy it as part of a set with a plush Aladdin toy for $26.
Briney says Aladdin will be around through the end of Mount Vernon’s holiday programing, which typically wraps up in late December.
“I think the holiday season at Mount Vernon is not complete without Aladdin the camel.”
Feature image courtesy George Washington’s Mount Vernon
This story originally ran in our December issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
