A man was being flown to a hospital after he was trampled and bitten by a camel in Charles County on Friday, authorities said.

The 57-year-old man was attacked by the camel at the Charles County fairground in the 8400 block of Fairground Road in La Plata, Md., according to a spokesman for Charles County Volunteer Fire and Emergency Medical Services.

The man sustained a head injury and was being flown to a shock trauma center, the spokesman said.

J.T. Hindle, president of the Charles County Fair, said the man who was injured was the camel’s handler.

“Apparently the handler was trying to move the camel and I guess in the heat he got mad,” Hindle said.

The Lewis and Clark Circus, which is headquartered in South Carolina and includes camel rides, was scheduled at the fairground at the time of the attack. A representative of the circus did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Bill Smith, a spokesman for the Charles County fire department, said the attack was the first of its kind in the area.

“Never in Charles County have we ever experienced a camel biting someone,” he said.