A resident camel at Miranda's Rescue in Fortuna, California, has sadly passed away.

The rescue took to Facebook to share the news of the camel's passing.

https://www.facebook.com/MirandasRescue/posts/pfbid032ZiXBjXSJFRKotL9s7dw84kDynupe3GsPZ1seZuGjyYuu2vLBVSvfxLQ2nJdPvnFl

They said: "With a very heavy heart, we regret to say that we have lost Tonka, our amazing sanctuary animal, the camel. Unfortunately, he had some sort of bacterial infection that took him fast, and there was nothing we could do to save him. He was an icon to the ranch and loved by so many."

In a previous post, they said camels generally live to be around 25 years old in captivity. Needless to say, his early passing came as a shock to those who knew and loved him.

https://www.facebook.com/MirandasRescue/videos/237304228496691

According to the Lost Coast Outpost, Tonka had been suffering from his bacterial condition since birth and had flare-ups on occasion. Staff at the rescue would give him a medication to ease his flare-ups, and he would be fine.

This time, however, was different. Tonka's flare-up was so severe, and the medication wasn't working. When it was determined there was no recovering, the rescue made the difficult decision to end his suffering through euthanasia.

Miranda's Rescue first welcomed Tonka the camel to the rescue back in late 2015.

https://www.facebook.com/MirandasRescue/posts/pfbid02mYf3wFm1d3aUKqnNbnswxewNe7aoXiinHpEZsE6pEwPwfUEMdEbpKTL4BxVBop6Wl

According to the Lost Coast Outpost, Tonka immediately hit it off with a miniature donkey at the rescue named Blossom.

"Tonka and Blossom would run around together, and whenever Miranda had to groom Tonka or give him medical care, Blossom had to be there to help Tonka stay calm," the outlet shared.

The rescue's founder shared that whenever Blossom was out of Tonka's sight, the camel would become notably upset.

While Miranda's Rescue offers temporary homes for dogs and cats while they wait to be adopted, it served as a permanent home for Tonka and Blossom. The two become well-known at the rescue for their adorable antics and close friendship.