A male camel has trampled two people to death at a farm in north Texas.

Peggye McNair, 72, and Mark Mere, 53, were charged by the animal at the Camel Kisses farm near Wichita Falls on Saturday.

The mammal went berserk when Mr Mere entered the pen, which also held two females, to deal with a water trough that had frozen over, said police.

Mrs McNair, who owned the farm, tried to close the gate to the pen but she was also trampled, the Wichita County Sheriff’s Office told KFDX.

The animal was reported to be agitated because he was ready for breeding.

“It appears that both victims were trampled by the camel,” police said in a statement, according to the Times Record News in Wichita Falls.

Mrs McNair, a former bank executive, had raised camels for nearly two decades, often welcoming children at her camel ranch, reported the newspaper.