A worker at a central Minnesota zoo was flown to St. Cloud Hospital on Wednesday after a camel got the man's head in its mouth and bit down.

A second man who helped free the first also was bitten.

The Stearns County Sheriff's Office received a report of an animal bite at Hemker Park and Zoo near Freeport at 2:45 p.m., according to a news release. There, first responders sent a 32-year-old Albany man to the hospital by helicopter. The second declined medical treatment.

Deputies were told an employee was escorting a camel through an alleyway to prepare it for transport when the animal got the employee's head in its mouth and bit down. The camel then dragged him about 15 feet.

A second employee, a 32-year-old Texas man, placed a plastic board into the camel's mouth to release its bite from the first man, who was able to run to safety. The camel then charged at the second man and bit his head. He was able to get away on his own and declined medical treatment at the scene.

The incident is under investigation, and the privately owned zoo remained open to the public.