Camel! Hump’s capacity and future challenges
Camel Importance
The camel plays a pivotal role in the life of the pastoral people, browse scanty vegetation and produce where other livestock species cannot survive. The camel is used for milk, meat, draught, riding, racing, recreation, wool, hides and prestige in Pakistan. Out of one million camels Balochistan province has the largest proportion (46%) followed by Punjab (23%), placing the majority in north eastern and south western zones of Balochistan and Punjab respectively. The low precipitation, water & feed scarcity, diseases and migrations provoked the pastoral people to develop the breeds which can cope with those conditions. The camel breeds are important local animal genetic resource, well adapted to the harsh and hostile ecology of those areas. The dromedary camel was originally domesticated for milk production in the harsh and arid areas of the world. After a period of use as beast of burden, the capacity of milk production was again realized and hence many studies have been conducted in many parts of the world. The myth of camel milk as stated by the pastoral people in their folk stories has been approved by many scientists.
Even more important in Future
Water and feed scarcity is one of the major challenges in the arid and semi arid lands. The globe is already changed and warmed. The camel has no way to meet the cabinet meeting under the water of ocean like the Maldives cabinet, but the camel scientists can realize. Desertification is continuing and the UN has alarmed the world that millions of acres of land is engulfing by the desert each year. Camel can tolerate a temperature up to 55 c easily. It even absorbs the surrounding temperature in the hot time of the day and dissipates in the cool period of the night. The model of commercial and intensive livestock is in competition with man on the use of cereals, camel doesn’t need that. The disease register of camel is too short and few diseases are fatal to camel health. Camel is resistant to the notorious zoonotic diseases like swine flu, avian influenza, mad cow disease and FMD. Also the land is shrinking of agro pastoral purposes because of the creeping urbanization and the fertile lands are converting in the jungle of concrete and sements.
Humps under threat
The camel is the animal of poor and neglected populace, hence it is seldom considered in research and development policies of the country. Camels catch good prices but their products cannot reach to the markets; therefore, earning of camel herders is quite low. The herders in the country earn modest as compared to other parts of the world where value addition to camel milk is practiced. The camel herders are poor, illiterate and unable to find markets for their products. They live in poverty and cannot financially invest in their camels, which results in low production and low economic returns.
The camels catch high prices offered by merchants from Iran and other countries. The camels are then transported to those countries and never return to its homelands unfortunately. This sad state of situation create social problems like the young boys escaping from the camel production systems and are being attracted by the war seeking groups in the region.
Can we keep the humps viable?
No doubt, camel can be a tool to combat the future challenges of draught, environmental changes, global warming and threats of new disease etc. Camel is the animal of future, i.e. everlasting threat to the environment, global warming, creeping desertification and competition on feed & water resources are the future challenges which can be beat by camel only.
Camel has a good potential as meat export to the rich Gulf courtiers. Only the harvested animals are slaughtered in the country and interest from Pakistani consumers is limited, therefore, camel beef is mixed with other meats or minced. Fattening units and feed lots can obtain a growth of 1.5 kg/day. Camel meat is produced organically and is free of zoonotic diseases like mad cow disease, swine flu and avian influenza etc.
Value addition is a tool to make camel production profitable i.e. Kurth, Sorain, ice cream, chocolates and other products can be made from it. With the collaboration of WHO the milk products can be made available for the school goings to fight with malnutrition on one hand and to support camel herders on the other hand. Camel milk can also be used as a tool for poverty elevation.
Niche products exploitation is another tool, being used by many small breeders for the conservation of the breeds in many parts of the world. Eco-tourism (racing, safaris) is one more avenue for fortifying camel production. Camel fairs and safaris are attracting thousands of people from around the world.
Thanks for your comments. I am really agree with you. The camel associations on coutry level with the active participation of the breeders is actually my idea with one or other way. This idea is really heartening. I took the initiation and we have active camel assocaition in Pakistan with the involvement of the camel breeders. Please visit the ISOCARD weblink in this regards.
The main question to let the massage to the policy makers still exists. Once again the country level associations and the international forums like ISOCAR etc can be the best tool. I am agree that ISOCARD should take more steps for the camel issues.
I am proudly sayiing that our voice is being heard here in Pakistan and our ministries are taking interest.
Let join our hands and convey the camel massage to the world.
My best regards
I have no answer to your question. Only more questions that I hope can lead to an answer.
You mention WHO and the organization’s efforts to make camel’s milk available. Whom within that organization leads these efforts? Whom in other similar organizations support the idea that the camel can be a key future food source?
The action we need is to identify or create a global coordinating body who can map, plan, finance, and enact a global camel plan.
It is NOT widely known, especially in the USA, where I am, that camels could provide a key source of nutritional sustenance – more viable than any other livestock animal on the planet in light of increasing and vast desertification on all continents.
I am writing a book about camels. My argument is that camels are uniquely prepared to be THE animal of the future. Not simply as food sources. I wonder as we become less reliant on fossil fuel if the camel will again, carry our loads?
Please send your thoughts and forward this message.
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