The establishment of commercial or tourism-oriented camel farms is not limited to Western countries. Many introductions have occurred for example in the African safari parks in the southern part of the continent, but also in commercial farms.
If in Namibia a small camel herd less than animals has been registered in the FAO database since , their presence in this arid country has been attested since , brought from the Canary Islands by German troops Wilson In the neighbouring country of Botswana, the Tsabong Camel Park TCP in the southern part close to the South African border has a larger camel herd of heads used for tourism Seifu et al. In the other countries of the region South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Malawi, Mozambique , dromedary camels were introduced by Europeans during the colonial period in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries for military and police activities or postal services.
Few of those camels survived except in South Africa, but new introductions occurred in the late twentieth century through gifts from the former president Ghaddafi of Libya to the heads of these states Wilson Nowadays, the camel population in those countries is incidental, except in Tanzania where some Maasai pastoralists, traditionally cattle breeders, began to use camels in their villages Swai et al.
No census is available, but in , the estimation of Tanzanian Ministry of Livestock was 93 animals Wilson Later, in their survey on camel diseases observed in Tanzania, Swai et al.
New camel introductions were also observed in Asia. The most surprising is the establishment of one camel dairy farm in Bangladesh with 45 camels Wilson where several studies were reported Islam et al.
For the past 30 years, expansion of the camel distribution area, linked to the droughts as mentioned above, can be observed in the southern part of the Sahara and Sahel. This expansion included first the southern part of Sahelian countries of Mali, Niger or Chad Faye et al. For example, in Chad, camel herds usually bred according to long transhumance patterns go to the border of the Republique Central Africaine or even beyond Marty et al.
In Niger, camel population growth was higher in the departments of Maradi, Zinder or Diffa located in the southern part of the country than in the Saharan departments Faye et al. In Ethiopia, the expansion of camel population was illustrated by the increased altitude limit at which camels were usually living, going from m in the s up to m today Tefera and Abebe Camel breeding is currently observed in the north of Nigeria, Cameroon, Republique Central Africaine, Uganda and even Tanzania as already mentioned, although only Nigeria among these countries has a declared camel population in the FAO database.
In Uganda, for example, where camel production is contributing to overall resilience to droughts Asiimwe et al. Official data registered in the FAO database are provided by the various national statistics offices of the Ministries of Agriculture or Livestock in these countries. However, in many cases, those data are not supported by an accurate census of the camel stock.
Generally, for estimation from a starting data point, a growth percentage is applied systematically which could be readjusted later if a census is achieved as mentioned above in the case of Chad. For example, in Mauritania, the same annual growth 3. The same growth of 3. Camels, unlike cattle, are not submitted to mandatory vaccination campaigns. Therefore, censuses are rare, and most of the countries cannot achieve them due to their incurred cost.
So, in most of the cases, official figures are rough estimates at most. Another difficulty is the transboundary movements and mobility of camel herds which are not well-documented Faye For example, in Algeria, the camel population has slowly declined after independence and then suddenly increased in Such a change was associated with the launching of the National Fund of Agricultural Development FNDA during that year and including the provision of subsidies for newborn camels and carrying out a camel herd census.
Therefore, Algerian camel breeders redirected their camels grazing beyond the border, in Niger Faye et al. Sometimes, an important gap is observed between official data collected in FAO database and those provided by some national authorities. For example, in Saudi Arabia, Elzaki Ali et al. In contrast, for Al-Ahmadi et al. In Ethiopia also, the number of camel heads in the country is subject to contradictory statements. For example, Mirkena et al.
The gap holding between official FAO data and national sources has been observed for a considerable portion of time. The merger of data from different countries formerly gathered in one unique national entity is a check on their consistency. The example of Ethiopia is once again interesting. However, the sum of camel stocks declared in Eritrea added to the Ethiopian stocks did not correspond to the previously recorded number of heads Fig.
Among them, seven declared camel stock mainly Bactrian in FAO database. Unlike in Ethiopia, the changes in camel stock appeared to be reasonably consistent Fig. The decline observed in the post-independence period is mainly linked to the impact of the privatization process of agricultural farms, especially in Kazakhstan Kerven et al. In , Morocco included the former Spanish Sahara into its national entity.
Changes in camel stock in Morocco — and in Sahara during Spanish colonization — and after inclusion in Moroccan Kingdom as Saharan provinces — The data regarding camel herds include both dromedary and Bactrian.
Bactrian camels are also present in Iran Niasari-Naslaji et al. However, in all those countries, the number is marginal or even incidental Zarrin et al. Moreover, due to the common practice of crossbreeding hybridization between dromedary and Bactrian camels, notably in Kazakhstan, Iran and Turkey Faye and Konuspayeva ; Digard ; Dioli , the introgression of Bactrian genes into dromedaries was widely observed in camel populations where the two populations overlap Burger Consequently, estimating the exact number of the Bactrian camel population is not an easy task.
Such a figure does not correspond exactly to the estimation of Bright et al. Regarding the population changes occurring since , a strong divergence was observed between the two large camelid species.
While dromedary population increased annually on average by 3. The first sudden collapse in Bactrian numbers concurs with the collapse of the Soviet Union in The most important decline was observed in Kazakhstan Fig.
Comparative demographic changes between Bactrian and dromedary camels at world level — source: FAOstat Comparative demographic changes of the Bactrian camel population — in Central Asia after Soviet Union collapse index in The decrease in camel population in Central Asia due to the changes in agricultural policies was compounded by the dzud , a weather-related disaster occurring at the beginning of the year in Mongolia and China.
The dzud is a catastrophic winter provoking a thick snow cover associated with intense cold with, in consequence, a frozen cover preventing livestock from grazing the winter pastures Tachiiri et al.
The main impact of the dzud on livestock was a significant over-mortality Palat Rao et al. If the global pattern between and related to the world camel population is maintained in the future, there is a strong likelihood that 50 million heads could be expected around the year and 60 million around However, the population changes are not dependent on natural camel herd growth alone.
As analysed above, many of the steep rises observed in recent years have led to changes in extrapolation assumptions or revisions of earlier estimates. Trends of camel populations are also subject to the effects of climate changes, new implementations, new economic opportunities and political decision-making. Linked to the traditional nomadic way of life rooted in the past, camel pastoralism is currently under the pressure of important changes Faye Despite a probable underestimation of the worldwide camel population estimated at around 40 million heads , its growth is higher than for the other herbivorous farm animals.
Between and , the world camel population multiplied by 2. Only the growth of the goat population appears higher 3. Such development testifies to the impact of climatic changes marked by widespread droughts in vast stretches of land in the world and of renewed interest in the camel within this new global climatic context.
It also highlights the growing interest in camel products. However, in many countries, camel data are insufficiently recorded. Censuses are not common, and when they are performed, the number of camels appears inevitably higher than in previous estimations.
Even in Western countries where all the livestock is identified, camels are not systematically registered. There is an urgent need to conduct an official count of the camel population worldwide and to distinguish between different camel species in FAO databases FAOstat in order to have a clear picture of their current status within the domestic herd. It is particularly important to accurately estimate the place of camel production in the world economy. There is enough evidence to suggest that this place should be strongly growing.
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Productive and reproductive performances of camel Camelus dromedarius in Bangladesh. Journal of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery 1 1 : 5. Henrotay, D. Camels in the northern provinces of Roman Empire. Journal of Archaeological Science — Imamura, K.
Salmurzauli, M. Iklasov, A. Baibayssov, K. Matsui, and S. The distribution of the two domestic camel species in Kazakhstan caused by the demand of industrial stockbreeding. Journal of Arid Land Studies — Camel breeds of Pakistan. After about two weeks, the mother and her young return to the herd.
The mother continues to nurse her young for 10 to 18 months, depending on species and the availability of food. Camels reach full adult size when they are about age seven. Camels are social animals that live in groups, called herds.
The herd consists of a dominant adult male, females, and their young. Other males that have been chased out of the group form bachelor herds. Camels communicate with each other with many sounds, such as moans and loud bellows. Mothers and their newborns hum to each other. Positions of the head, neck, ears, and tail have different meanings in camel society. For example, ears forward indicates alertness. Camels have been used by humans since ancient times.
They have been used for transportation, as well as a replacement for beef cattle. In the wild, Bactrian camels are at critical risk. They are hunted for sport and for their meat. They are also killed due to human conflict, as they compete with dometic camels for grazing and watering spots.
Habitat loss is another major threat to the species, as human activities like illegal mining operations spread into their habitat. There are currently about Bactrian camels in China and about in Mongolia. The Wild Camel Protection Foundation was established in , with the sole aim of protecting wild Bactrian camels. They set up a natural reserve in China for wild Bactrian camels. Their aim is to protect its habitat in the fragile and unique desert ecosystems in the Gobi and Gashun Gobi deserts in north-west China and south-west Mongolia.
The ancient camel question is: One hump or two? Arabian camels, also known as dromedaries, have only one hump, but they employ it to great effect. The hump stores up to 80 pounds of fat, which a camel can break down into water and energy when sustenance is not available. These humps give camels their legendary ability to travel up to desert miles without water. In winter, even desert plants may hold enough moisture to allow a camel to live without water for several weeks.
When camels do refill, however, they soak up water like a sponge. A very thirsty animal can drink 30 gallons of water in only 13 minutes. Other adaptations help dromedaries thrive in desert conditions.
Their nostrils close to keep sand at bay, and they have bushy eyebrows and two rows of long eyelashes to protect their eyes. Large, tough lips enable them to pick at dry and thorny desert vegetation. Big, thick footpads help them navigate the rough rocky terrain and shifting desert sands. Arabian camels have been domesticated for approximately 3, years and have been long valued as pack animals.
They can carry large loads for up to 25 miles a day. Some cultures judge a person's wealth based on the number of camels they own. Today, nearly all of the world's camels are domestic animals. They are found in northern Africa and southwestern Asia, and have been introduced to Australia. All rights reserved. Common Name: Arabian camels Dromedaries.
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