Camel, I Did

A Domesticated Camel’s Role in Trade

admin — Wed, 29 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Dating back many hundreds of years, the domesticated camel has played a large role in revolutionizing the abilities of mankind in desert regions. They have been integral in advancing techniques for travel, trade, and survival in some of the most severe regions on the globe. Their role is most prevalent in Africa and the regions surrounding the Sahara desert. In countries such as the Sudan, Morocco, and Egypt, there are millions of camels living and working in domesticated society. In many instances, they are the virtual replacement for the wheel.

Because camels can survive extreme temperatures and retain water so well, they are ideally suited for transporting goods in regions such as these. They typically are used to transport meat, wool, leather, and milk. They have been integral in establishing trade routes throughout the Sahara desert. Without taking advantage of their capabilities, moving goods from western portions of Africa to north Africa would not be possible on a regular basis. Many areas rely so heavily on camels for trade and survival that the animal has become an integral part of their culture. In fact, the Somalian language has 46 different words that denote a camel. In addition to being an instrument of travel, the camels themselves often become the product that is being traded. Camel leather, milk, and camel meat are staples in the goods for the large majority of African cultures.

A Domesticated Camel’s Role in Civilization

admin — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Camels were most likely domesticated between 3000 BC and 1500 BC. We do know that by 1000 BC, camels were used extensively as beasts of burden to transport precious goods up and down the west coast of Arabia and were very important for trade between India and Mesopotamia. Today, the vast majority of camels are domesticated or in captivity.

Camels were and still are highly valued for their ability to derive water from the fat stored in their humps. This makes them ideal for desert conditions where water is often scarce. Throughout history, camels have been used as beasts of burden, as military mounts and as a source of food and hair. Camel milk is a staple food for desert nomads in Africa and the Middle East, and camel meat has been eaten throughout the world for centuries. Camel hair is also considered very high quality and is used in a number of textiles throughout the world.

In Praise of the Remarkable Camel

admin — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000

You must appreciate the fact that not only do camels live in the most barren, desolate areas in the world but they actually thrive in these areas. These huge one or two humped creatures command respect not only for their size and occasional irascible temperament when mistreated, but also for their adaptability and fortitude.

Some other reasons to bow in recognition of the Remarkable Camel include its ability to eat, not unlike a goat, almost anything while going for miles and days without water, despite their immense size. They have 3 eyelids and nostrils that close helping them keep sand and irritants out of their eyes and lungs. Camels can consume approximately 30 gallons of water in a matter of minutes instantly re-hydrating themselves. By living in rocky, sandy, arid places the camel has avoided both predators and competition with other animals for resources. Their docile and stubborn nature has allowed the camel to become domesticated and useful to indigenous populations.

It is little wonder that the Arabic culture has such admiration for this remarkable creature. In fact, there are approximately 160 words in Arabic that mean “camel”. Now that is respect. If you spend but a brief time in a dessert, you too will learn to sing the praises of our humped friends.

The Herbivore Diet of the Camel

admin — Tue, 03 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

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 to cows. They have a special digestive system that allows them to eat indigestible foods by re-chewing them as “cud.” The “cud” can then be swallowed again for further digestion.
It is widely known that camels have the ability to go without water for extensive periods of time.” They obtain water from the plants that they eat, and when they do get the chance to drink actual water, they drink enormous amounts. This helps to sustain them on the long journeys that they are known to take that last for many miles, carrying goods and people through hot, arid deserts. Camels are referred to as the “ship of the desert” because of their endurance; their ability to cope with burdens carried on long trips in severe climates.

The Desolate, Arid Climates vs. Survival Strategies of Camels

admin — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

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 the cold of night.

2) The hair inside its ears keep the sand from coming in.

3) The hump stores energy in the form of fat when food is hard to come by.

4) Its eyes have double rows of interlocking eyelashes and a thin see – through inner eyelid as protection against sun and blowing sand.

5) Its nostrils can be tightened, again to keep out blowing sand.

6) Its upper lip is split to grasp food, so the tongue won’t have to be exposed to dry air.

7) Its long legs perch it above the hot sand and also enable it to see far.

The camel is one of nature’s most marvelous feats of biological engineering.

The Amazing Camel – Nomads of the Land

admin — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

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 are storing their water in their famous humps, but actually, their fat is stored there. Because their fat is stored in their humps, camels are able to keep cooler in hot temperatures.

Dromedary camels (one hump) and Bactrian (two humps) camels can ride anywhere from 80 to 120 miles a day, and they can kick their legs in all four directions. They can be commanding 6 to 6.5 feet tall, and weigh anywhere from 550 to 1500 pounds.

The hardworking camel prefers fresh vegetation to eat, but is actually omnivorous, which means they will eat just about anything that is available to them if necessary. They especially enjoy salty plants, and actually need them because of their exposure to extreme heat.

Increasing Camel Awareness

www.camelidid.org — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

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. The Zoological Society of London includes the Bactrian camel among its list of the 100 most evolutionarily distinct but globally endangered animals, emphasizing the importance of keeping the small community of wild Bactrian camels sustainable. Losing the wild Bactrian camel all-together would entirely remove an inimitable animal from the Earth forever, a true tragedy. Yet, even many ecologically in-tune individuals see camels as sheep, failing to realize the importance regarding the survival of species within the camel family, as the priceless global treasure is too often viewed as a dime a dozen.

Where Camel Meets Class

admin — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 20:39:04 +0000

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?”Taking a quick survey of his 38-Long jacket, with slim lapels and 3 buttons down the center, the gentleman looks up and softly whispers, “Why yes ma’am, one hundred percent.” It seems we’ve finally stumbled upon the reason camels can stride through the desert with an aura of self-assurance uncommon among most mammals. It’s their hair, though not the coarse outer layer that wards of sand and sun. A camel’s fine, soft undercoat lends itself to a striking palette of colors from gorgeous golden brown to distinguished shades of red and tan. Fortunately for those who lack a camel’s natural poise, cursing the day they were born without humps, now every well-dressed man can look in mirror with camel confidence. Camel hair sport coats, available in many fine clothing retail outlets, will have you looking and feeling as sharp as possible. Of course, half the battle with confidence is being comfortable. Fear not, the thermostatic nature of pure camel hair helps to balance out both a hot summer night and chilly winter evening, leaving camel-clad cavaliers dressed to impress no matter the time of year.

Cartoon Killer or One Cool Camel?

www.camelidid.org — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:31:02 +0000

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 75^th anniversary of Old Joe, the new Joe Camel advertising campaign was introduced in the United States in 1987. To say the least, Joe Camel was a raging success. While the alleged intended audience was, of course, adult smokers who currently chose other brands, Joe Camel was wildly popular among teens not of legal smoking age, thus the image quickly became a nationwide controversy. According to some estimates, before Joe Camel’s inception, Camel cigarettes controlled only 0.5 of the underage smoking market. Camel’s market share skyrocketed in the first few years with Joe Camel as the face of the company, rising to nearly 33 in just 4 years.It’s completely understandable why anyone in their teens, or of legal age for that matter, mind find Joe Camel appealing. After all, between his numerous trips to Vegas among many other seemingly fantastic vacation destinations, his mastery of all hobbies manly from motorcycles to billiards and his constant accompaniment of attractive young females, who wouldn’t want to hang out with the world’s hairiest jetsetter? The ‘Brown Bond’ disappeared in 1997, however, as cigarette ads containing cartoons and humans were declared illegal, joining the Marlboro Man in early retirement.

New Cows on the Block

www.camelidid.org — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:59:00 +0000

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.Camel milk actually has three times more vitamin C than that of their cow contemporaries, not to mention it can be digested by lactose intolerant drinkers. There is some speculation in the scientific community that camel milk might also help to fight bacteria, tumors and diabetes, as well as treat liver disease, though these studies are still ongoing. While the potential health benefits are undoubtedly a selling point, what most casual milk drinkers are primarily concerned with is taste. Camel milk is naturally saltier than cow milk, due to the differing diets of the two animal species. In the wild, camels consume large amounts of wild desert brush; however, in an effort to improve the taste, Camelicious feeds their camels an exclusive diet of hay, carrots and dates. Just like regular milk, flavoring can be added to turn camel milk into chocolate or strawberry milk as well.So if you find yourself struggling to stick with your healthy diet regimen, and dairy milk is one of your major pitfalls, perhaps camel milk can help to get you over the hump (sorry, I had to).