The Bug
Camels have the ability to walk over 1.5-tall blocks because of their height and long legs. When you ride them, they instantly walk over fences or blocks with a slab on them. However, they wouldn't idly path find over these blocks.
MC-256463 fixed this issue for fences; camels can walk over any fence without player input. However this was not fixed for a block with a slab on it, despite camels being able to easily clear them when ridden.
This video displays said behavior:
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Steps to reproduce:
1. Build and enclosure of fences, then spawn a camel within. It will easily walk out and escape.
2. Build a similar enclosure but with a block and a slab instead of fences. Despite being the same height and the camel being able to walk over them, it wont attempt to and will remain trapped.
Can confirm
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