Since Joe Camel was banned from broadcasts in 1997, national CPC (not cost per click, rather camels per channel) has declined drastically over the past decade plus, resulting in completely inadequate camel coverage. There simply aren’t many camels in the Americas, the few present residing in captivity, making it difficult for much of the population to truly understand the animal’s majesty in its natural habitat. Despite numerous petitions to Directv, Time Warner, Dish Network, among a host of other major television service providers, it seems the public’s outcry for a dedicated “camel channel” has failed to make an urgent impact, falling largely on deaf ears.Even in the heyday of cigarette ads, representation of real life camels has always been underwhelming at best. The sad truth is that many issues facing the camel family of species in nature go underreported in Western nations. It is commonly assumed that because camel populations have overrun certain areas or arid land, camels are alive and well without need for human assistance or compassion. While one-humped camels, or Dromedary camels, abound in terms of total number, their Bactrian camel brethren has fared less favorably in the ongoing evolutionary survival scale. Over thirteen million dromedary camels walk the desert today, domesticated in Northern Africa, the Middle East and the Outback.On the other hand, Bactrian camels,of the two-humped variety, have been domesticated with less frequency, with only 1.4 million estimated to still be in existence. In fact, wild Bactrian camels are listed as “Critically Endangered” according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. Only close to 800 Bactrian camels currently roam their natural habitat in remote parts of China and Mongolia, with no significant presence elsewhere. This may be of little concern to some who interpret the gaudy 1.4 million number as an adequate number for preservation; however, the wild Bactrian camel is genetically unique, even compared to its domesticated counterpart. Read more
The Herbivore Diet of the Camel
There are very few Camels that exist in the wild today. And, since they are predominantly domesticated animals, their owners provide most of their food. There are two species of camels; Bactrian Camels, and Dromedary Camels. They both eat many types of vegetation including; grasses, dried leaves, seeds, and many different types of plants. Especially Dromedary Camels eat a great variety of plants that even include salty types and plants with thorns; they also forage on bones and dried animal carcasses.
Camels regurgitate their food similar Read more
The Desolate, Arid Climates vs. Survival Strategies of Camels
You may have heard people say, “A camel is a horse that’s been put together by a committee.” That saying refers, of course, to the unattractive appearance of the camel. But the student of biology and evolution knows that nothing could be farther from the truth. The fact is, the body of the camel is excellently suited to the harsh desert environment in which it evolved. Consider the following:
1) Its thick coat provides insulation against both the heat of day and Read more
The Amazing Camel – Nomads of the Land
Camels are fascinating animals, and are named for the Arabic word meaning “beauty”. These animals are designed to thrive in areas of the world where very few can, and have done so for centuries.
Camels are primarily desert dwellers, and can go for long periods without water. They can do this because they are extremely efficient with their resources. When they do drink, however, they can drink up to thirty gallons in ten minutes. Most people think that camels Read more
Where Camel Meets Class
There you are in your little black dress, posted up at the bar in some high-rise hotel, topping off a long evening out on the town. Your left hand slowly begins to lift a toothpick-pierced olive from the bottom of your chilled martini glass, when all of a sudden an animalistic allure snaps your attention across the smoke-filled room. Your mind racing in disbelief, you feel as if your eyes must have betrayed you. Squinting inquisitively towards the looming presence, still trying to mask your obvious attraction, the strapping brown figure ambles towards you in a well-calculated stroll. Finally taming the wild butterflies spinning circles deep in your stomach, you turn to ask, “Excuse me sir, is that a camel?” Read more
Cartoon Killer or One Cool Camel?
You may remember Joe Camel from the Camel cigarette advertising campaigns dating from 1987 to 1997. After all, he is indisputably the most famous camel to have never lived (probably tops among the breathing variety as well, unless you can name a few off the top of your head). But while all his friends seemed to agree Joe Camel was pretty much the coolest guy around, how much do you really know about Joe Camel?Joe Camel was first caricatured in 1974 by British artist Billy Coulton, later used in a French ad campaign running internationally throughout the late 70′s. Though his initial purpose was not to sell cigarettes, the inspiration for the original Joe Camel drawing was in fact a carton of Camel smokes. The camel on the carton was commonly known as “Old Joe” around the company, so to commemorate its 75th anniversary of Old Joe, the new Joe Camel advertising campaign was introduced in the United States in 1987. Read more
New Cows on the Block
Trying to stick to a healthy, yet delicious, diet, but traditional dairy milk seems to be standing in your way? Don’t worry, this isn’t a thinly veiled plug for soy milk, but there may soon be another alternative to your bovine beverage issues. The European Union health officials recently cleared the way for the United Arab Emirates to begin exporting camel milk. After a thorough examination of the milking facilities, camel milk could soon find its way to grocery store shelves across Europe, with the United States and Asia expected to follow in the not too distant future. The Dubai based company Camelicious (yes, this is the real company name, not to mention a pretty sweet replacement nickname if you’ve been saddled with “Quasimodo”) hopes that more Western countries will soon follow suit, making camel milk easily accessible in major markets worldwide. Read more
Call in the Camelry!
It’s no surprise to see a statue of a famous war hero or general perched atop a noble steed, but how surprised might you be to find that his hoofed friend had humps? Cavalry operations have been common among in military outfits since nearly the beginning of warfare, predated by only infantry and chariotry, playing famous roles in countless conflicts whether part of the Roman Legion or Civil War troops. Soldiers have actually found themselves riding on the back of many beasts over the centuries. Hannibal, a Carthaginian general, was elephant aided in his from trek from the Iberian Peninsula across the Pyrenees and Alps mountain ranges to the boot of Italy. Camels of course, with their propensity for hauling heavy objects and endurance to travel great distances even under stressful conditions, were not left out of arsenal come wartime. Read more
Mmm Camel
Next time you go to the store to grill out steaks, sausages or burgers, consider picking up a slab of camel meat. Of course, unless you live down under, it’s highly unlikely your local grocery store would carry camel, but some Australian food stores do, in fact, have such meat in all three of the aforementioned varieties. Camels are so overpopulated in the arid regions of the Outback that the government is doing its best Chick-fil-A cow impersonation, urging its citizens to “Eat More Camel.” The quickly growing camel populations already include over 1 million camels roaming wild, causing major problems for Australian Aboriginal communities. The animals tend to travel in aggressive packs, making it difficult, particularly for Aboriginal women who rarely carry or operate weaponry, to venture unprotected into the countryside for fear of being attacked or trampled. The large herds of camels have also been known to stampede over sacred sites and contaminate age old watering holes with heightened levels of excrement. Read more
Humpbacks in a Hurry
Though yet to break through to the Kentucky Derby or Belmont Stakes, camel racing is a popular spectator sport in many nations outside the United States, particularly desert nations where riding a camel might be a more common occurrence. Despite what Hollywood would have you believe, with slow moving scenes of camel-led travelers traversing sandy hills at mere meters per hour, a full-sprint camel is among the faster beasts in the animal kingdom. At top speed, the average camel runs at close to 40 miles per hour. By comparison, this is not too far off the pace of much smaller racing animals, generally sporting a more sleek, aerodynamic frame than their camel counterparts. Greyhounds, common racers at American dog tracks, reach a top speed of 43 miles per hour, while the average quarter horse bests the camel by 7 and a half miles per hour. Read more