Camel4ALL
If you are in Alain, it is the best opportunity to visit the Camel Farm and the camel milk processing factory. We have a great event organized by Alain Farms for Livestock Production to celebrate World Camel Day. I invite you to please attend this important event. #camelday
World Camel Day (WCD) Session on 24 tv Channel Riyadh Saudi Arabia
The session was directly covered by the 24 sport channel of Saudi Arabia. It was a 1 hour live seminar about the world camel day. Abu Muhammad Bin Oudah (camel farmer from KSA), Dr. Suleiman, Dr. Mubarak Swelem, Dr. Abdul RAZIQ Kakar (the founder of the world camel day) participated in the conference.
Bin Oudah spoke about the present status and future prospects of the camel in Saudi Arabia. He emphasized on the role of camel in Saudi culture and business. He was quite optimistic with the future of the camel in Saudi Arabia and the world. He suggested to be get ready well in time for the year of camelids in 2024.
Future of the camel is very bright because it is highly adapted to the harsh climate conditions. It can sustain milk production (where temperature reaches to 52C) in conditions where the other type of livestock can hardly survive. The camels eat the food mainly based on woody material which has otherwise no use except burning for fuel. The camel convert such wood material into valuable food for human (milk, meat) and detritivores (manure). Adaptation is the real worth of camel and the utmost need of the human being. We need livestock for our food security to be convenient in harsh weather and doesn’t need much inputs like more water, cooling, biosafety, specialized food etc.
2024 is the year of Camelids, specified by the UNFAO. I wish the policymakers and scientist recognize and appreciate the camel as the highly adapted livestock ensuring food security and managing the fragile ecosystem under the climate change scenario.
Dr. Muhammad Suleiman detailed out the issues, problems and challenges of the camels in Saudi Arabia. He mentioned the challenges for the camel as; no proper knowledge/practice about the diseases, especially with the climate change as new health challenges are emerging. He stressed on coordinated efforts to organize a serious forum to have a comprehensive work on the camel health challenges.
Dr. Mubarak Swelem highlighted the importance of the camel as a business opportunity in the kingdom and abroad. He elaborated that investment in the camel can increase the business opportunities and jobs for the people in the camel world. He suggested to find out the chances which can be grabbed for the business opportunities in the camel world.
Dr. Abdul RAZIQ Kakar (author and key speaker) was stormed by many questions from all the 3 panelists/presenters and the TV anchor person. In following lines I’m sharing the questions along with the answers.
Q 1. Why a World Camel Day and what were the motives behind this idea?
Answer: No doubt the camel is well known and praised in some cultures but still it is hiding from the eyes of the major part of the world especially the policymakers. The camel is considered as the animal of old world and remote and regions. The policymakers have no clear understanding about the real worth of the incredible camels. In Australia without any support the camel increased in population manifolds. They helped in revegetation and revitalization of the remote drylands of the inner Australia but the policymakers of the country decided to kill the precious camels. Thousands of camels were killed in last few years. In other camel countries the camels are badly neglected and seldom considered in the research and development policies of the country. The overall understanding and knowledge about the camel is very rare and sporadic. In such a circumstances, I realized to have a specific day in the year’s calendar to speak about the camel and highlight its importance a the global level.
Q 2. When a World Camel Day was started?
Answer: With a small one day seminar in the beautiful city of Quetta (capital of Balochistan province of Pakistan) the foundation of the world camel day was laid. Interestingly, the first event was sponsored by a Saudi professor, Dr. Abdul Salam Abax from Qasseem area. The city of Quetta was selected because of the 50 % of the camels of Pakistan are only placed in Balochistan. Later on, each year many more people joined the WCD from different quarters of the world and now it is being celebrated in different parts of the world even in the regions which are not culturally familiar with the camel world.
Q 3. Why 22 June was selected for the world camel day?
Answer: June is the hottest month and 22 June is the hotted and longest day of the year. In such a challenging conditions, camel is the only player sustaining its own survival and providing precious food item to the people living in the deserted hot weathers. To praise and admire the importance of the camel, no other day is better than 22nd June.
Q 4. What is your message at the occasion of the World Camel Day?
Answer: Camel is the animal of future, sustaining food security under the challenging weathering conditions. The camel not only secure the food sustenance but also play a pivotal role in the ecosystem management. My message is to please love the camel, care the camel and give the camel a chance to play its role.
World Camel Day honors the incredible camel and its importance in many spheres of life. To highlight the importance of the camel at the global level, Dr. Abdul Raziq Kakar founded World Camel Day. Every year since its launch in 2009, World Camel Day has been celebrated on 22 June. Camel habitats observe World Camel Day on this date because it is the longest and hottest day of the year. https://arkbiodiv.com/2020/06/20/history-of-world-camel-day-22-june/
Camel is a multipurpose, unique, and very useful animal for livelihood earning in the challenging climatic conditions of its habitats. Because of the towering power of adaptation, the camel ensures food security in conditions where other types of livestock can hardly survive. Camel is an efficient biological machine, converting poor roughages (shrubs, bushes, and dry foliage) into precious milk while consuming a lesser amount of water/kg milk production. The camel extracts water from its excreta and produces an almost dry and hard manure ball, as well as an extract from the urine via its incredible kidneys, producing urine thicker than syrup. Camel produces milk with medicinal and functional properties, rightly called a natural pharmacy. For further details please read the below article.
Who is the author of the World Camel Day?
Dr. Raziq Kakar is a doctorate in animal science, with a special emphasis on dromedary as a potential dairy animal, He has been working with the camels for the last 22 years. He gained practical experience with camels, like a camel dairy professional, both by training and experience. Since 2014, Dr. Raziq Kakar is solely working with a camel dairying entity (Alain Farms for Livestock Production) which is the world’s first commercial camel dairy, Alain Abu Dhabi UAE. In my philosophy, the camel is a magical biological model coping with the warming planet scenario while producing health-promising milk and meat in challenging circumstances.
As the globe is getting warmer and warmer, the only reliable and trustworthy source of food left are the plants & animals’ genetic resources that are highly adaptable to the climate challenges. Adaptation is the guarantee for a sustainable and uninterrupted food supply despite all challenges. Camel is unique among all the adapted animal genetic resources for food and agriculture. We can say that the camel is a unique gift of nature for desert dwellers. As the camel is highly tolerant, adapted, efficient, and sustainable, ensuring food security in the arid regions of the world.
Climate change affects water sources (scarcity and salinity), feed (scarcity and quality), and the soaring heat – The camel is the solution for all the above-mentioned challenges. https://camel4all.info/index.php/2022/05/19/zalam-salt-deficiency-in-camels/
Despite some attention in the Anthropocene, the unique creature (camel) is either ignored or undermined by different quarters, especially the policymakers.
The author, therefore, proposed a day (22nd June) to think and aware the masses about this precious animal and advocate for the camel to get a proper place again. Our camel advocacy forum CAMEL4LIFE INTERNATIONAL is advocating camels at all available forums, especially for its’ incredible milk, which is considered a natural pharmacy.
Thanks to all my camelists friends who supported my camel cause. I’m happy to see the progress of our forum, many quarters have realized the importance of the camel as a food security animal under the challenging climatic conditions.
A camel story by Dr. Bernard Faye from France. Dr. Faye is a very experienced and knowledgeable person in camel’s world. He is the founding member and the chairman of the International Society of Camelids Development and Research (ISOCARD). http://www.isocard.net/images/executive_members//FILE25827f644772f9e.pdf
In continuation of the series of camel stories from different regions of the world
From their places of domestication 5000 years ago, dromedary and Bactrian camels moved far away from their cradle (origin of domestication). Two main parameters can explain this camel stock moving: The aridification of the Sahara starting just before the Christian Era. The trade routes in Asia from China to the Mediterranean coast (Silk Road) and across Sahara from the Maghreb to the Sahel, using camels’ caravans.
The world statistics (site FAOstat) available since 1961 only, show a regular increase of the camel population (approximatively 3%/year), but with different demography patterns.
Globally, we can distinguish a Trend as
After importing some camels in Australia in the XIXth century, a large camel population is nowadays present in this country. Camels were also imported in arid countries of Southern Africa (Namibia, Botswana). But a recent keen interest can be observed in Western countries (USE, Europe), mainly for touristic attraction, but more and more for milk production.
Globally, it is expected that climatic changes are giving a chance for camels to take more place in the future world.
Dr. Faye
The camel, most closely associated with desert climates, actually has unique connections to Europe. The Romans made the first introductions of Arabian (one hump) camels, likely for menageries, but archaeological evidence also supports their use as working animals in Belgium during the Roman period.
Some very old references are available about the camels in early medieval Europe. The Visigoths and other tribes may have brought them into Western Europe. In France, the Merovingian King Clotaire paraded his Queen Brunehaut on a camel before having her executed. The Arabs and Berbers in the early eighth century brought camels with them, but camel herding never really flourished in those regions. The Hohenstaufen king Redrick made use of camels in Sicily and southern Italy.
There were several attempts to introduce camels into Europe in the early modern period. Around 1623 a small herd of camels owned by King James used to graze daily in St James’s Park. Philip of Spain maintained a small zoo in the gardens of his palace at Aranjuez with 4 camels, which he had brought over in the 1570s from Africa. They proved useful in building work, so more were bred until there were about 40. Ferdinand de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, introduced imported camels in 1622 to be used a pack animals. The last of the herd lingered in the environs of Pisa until the second World War when soldiers killed the remnant for meat.
In 19th century Spain there were feral camels in the swamps of the Guadalquivir Delta. Allegedly they had been left there by the British army in the Peninsular War. Alternatively and less romantically, they had originally been imported into the province of Cadiz in 1829to work on road-building and other projects. There were other short-lived attempts to introduce camels in Spain, Poland, and elsewhere.
Camel (book) by Robert Irwin
Camel is one of the most important livestock for food security under climatic calamities. It is a sustainable livestock with lowest ecological footprints and produce one of the unique food, the camel milk. Camel milk is considered as the natural pharmacy.
Unfortunately, the camel is very little praised and appreciated for its role as a food security livestock. Camel is always neglected at all levels by the policymakers and very little attention is given in the R&D projects on a country, region, and global levels. The good thing is that the camel is again turning to its original task, the camel milk. New camel dairies are emerging both in the ancient habitats and new habitats of the camel. This return is mainly materialized by the author’s and his colleagues’ efforts, bringing camel at all levels and making the research findings understandable and practicable.
Camel ensure livelihood of its keepers in difficult environments
Dr. Younas
One of the most important milestones in such achievements is the world camel day 22 June.
Dr. Raziq
In its original habitat, 21 June is the longest and hottest day of the year, in the northern hemisphere of the globe. Camel sustains its abilities of production in such harsh and hostile environments and adapts to the soaring heat and long thirsty day. We should have chosen the 21st of June as world camel day but it is specified for the world father day. So, we decided to skip 21 and selected 22nd June as the world camel day. The difference in day length is only 2 seconds between the 21st and 22nd June. For further reading about the history of the world camel day, please go to the link below. https://camel4all.blog/2020/06/20/history-of-world-camel-day-22-june/amp/
Camel is very different from other livestock, owing very special physiological and anatomical features making it one of the most resilient creatures of the challenging climatic conditions. Camels adapt and resolve with some multidimensional features to cope with the situations where the temperatures are red hot, water and feed sources are scarce, and the conditions of life are harsh.
The very important feature of the camel is its potential of producing milk (for calf) to sustain its life cycle and reproduce offspring for the continuation of the camel race. The long, harsh, and challenging days of the desert do not dent the camel milk yield but slightly increase with more watery milk to fulfill the water requirements of the calves in the arid and hot conditions.
The features of the camels are well praised in the holy books, travelers’ stories, documentaries of national geographic, research articles, and the folk songs and stories of the nomads. According to a study, the camel needs 1.9 kg dry roughages to produce 1 kg of milk in the arid condition, and in the same conditions, a native cow needs 9.1 kg dry matter for the same quantity of milk.
Based on my personal experience, the dairy camel needs far less water than the dairy cows in the same conditions. The drinking water requirements of dairy cows are 8-10 times more per liter milk products in extremely hot weather (>45C). The dairy cows not only require water for food but for cooling and the cooling system needs a lot of power to regulate it’s cooling and exhaust fans. Also, the camel requires a lesser quantity of crude protein in the feed as it is unique in urea recycling. A diet of 16% CP is more than enough for a camel to fulfill its basics and production requirements.
The camel has tremendous potential as farm livestock because of its longer product life cycle (up to 10-12 parties). The high yielding dairy cow only manages 4 lactations on the farm because of high yielding, overloaded health inputs, the extra burden of feed ingredients (higher CP), and stressful conditions because of multiple factors. In the same conditions, camels take lesser water, feed (lesser CP), and absorb the higher temperatures in their hump and live a very stress-free lifestyle.
The stress-free lifestyle of camel fabricates unique milk, full of nutrients and positivity which ultimately supports our health and happiness.
Dr. Raziq
Also, the camel has a very specific and limited number of diseases, except few like Mange (skin disease) and trypanosomiases (blood parasites), other diseases do not need much human intervention. The hard and strong udder ensures it potential to be less prone to mastitis and other glandular diseases if properly milked in hygienic conditions. Such a phenomenon makes the camel the best dairy choice as it needs lesser health and comforts inputs and milk production in stress-free conditions.
Even if kept in the same ecological zone with comfortable environmental conditions (preferred for cows), the camel is more efficient in water and feeds turnover into milk. In ideal conditions camels need 4 liters of water for one kg milk (with an average production yield of 10 kg/per day), while in the same condition dairy cows need 4 times more water for one kg milk yield.
Camel is fantastic livestock, designed with special DNAs to support human life in driest parts of the world. The policymakers at all levels should realize the importance of this unique creature and should give a chance to the incredible camel to perform as a food security animal in the climate change context. The WORLD CAMEL DAY is therefore celebrated each year on 22nd June to aware the people about the incredible role the camel is playing and the hopes we foresight from the camel in the challenging future. First WORLD CAMEL DAY was celebrated on the 22nd of June, 2008.
The camel is rarely admired for its incredible roles and it is still hiding from the eyes of the policymakers. Me with the like-minded people, launched WORLD CAMEL DAY to advocate camels and aware the masses about the importance of the camel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDPMUKbIthU
Camel4Life international is an advocacy forum, promoting camel at all available platforms to give a proper place in the research, policy, and development. https://www.thenational.ae/uae/health/al-ain-doctor-sees-potential-in-camels-beyond-their-milk-1.51957