Desert Camel

The Desert Camel has played the vital role of “the ship of the desert” for ancient Asian and Middle East traders, who used the animal to cross deserts as they established new trading roads connecting different cultures. Lacquerware, tea and silk arrived in Europe from China via the great “Silk Road”, and lots of goods from the Western civilization were shipped from Europe to the Middle East and Asia the same way. The Camel has proven the only reliable means of transportation that could carry man across deserts in olden times.

Today, with automobile roads and railroads being built at an ever-fastening rate, the Camel has fallen out of use. However, it still can be used to carry goods and people for short distances. In some countries, Desert Camel rides have become a popular entertainment that attracts tourists from around the world. Such a pleasure ride is a romantic dream of many Europeans who have heard something about Camel riding or seen pictures or videos of Camels carrying goods and people. Those who have experienced a Camel ride talk about a profound sensation of being carried thousands of years back into the times of the Silk Road, when caravans of traders regularly headed in both building commercial and cultural ties between civilizations.

Desert Camels have developed unique adaptations. Many people wonder what makes them so impervious to the rigors of desert and how they can stay without food and water for a long time. They store energy in fats that accumulate in the hump (Arabian or Dromedary Camels have one hump, and the Bactrian Camel has two humps). Water is stored in their blood circulation system. Camels can take much more water than any other animal. These animals have a very tough digestive system, which allows them to eat thorns and thick branches. Camels are herbivores, and they feed on leaves, twigs, grass, etc.

Camels are known for their friendly temperament. They are easy to domesticate, and today there are more domestic Camels than wild Camels. In the 1800s, people took attempts to get them used to other environments, carrying them to Australia and North America. Sometimes, sightings are reported from Australia. The attempt to establish them in America was unsuccessful. Desert Camels can be seen in zoos in all parts of the world, as zoo specialists have succeeded in providing secure and healthy environment for them.