Camels

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Mukhallalati Basha
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Camels are the most frequently encountered animals in the desert, and desert dwellers were once dependent on them for their very survival.

Camels were, in fact, the best friends of desert dwellers, who took almost as much care of them as they did of themselves, depending on them for their mobility, for transporting goods, for milk, meat and companionship. Even the coat of camels was used as wool for making rugs, clothing, tents and ropes, while leather from camels was used for ‘ containers to carry water and milk, and for drums.

Although the lifestyle of the population has changed drastically over recent decades, camels are still kept in great numbers, but for different reasons. Milk production is still significant, but the camel’s most important role today is as a racing animal.

Camels are still traded in camel souks such as in Buraimi and other places in Oman, fetching from Dhs 1,000 to Dhs 5,000 a camel — they’re sold for meat, milk, their hides or breeding purposes. Racing camels, however, go for much more, selling for between Dhs 2,000 and Dhs 2O,000 an animal.

Camel races ensure the very survival of the camel today. Some oasis dwellers with prize camels keep them as studs and allow neighbouring camel farmers to breed their camels with them, but they still earn most of their money from the races themselves.

It’s the female camels that are used for racing; they belong to the best bloodlines, and preferred breeds are the Shaheen and Hamloul.

They’re weaned from their mothers by the age of one and start racing at about two years, initially for races of only two to three kilometres.

Later, they race for between eight to 16 kilometres, sometimes at speeds of up to 12 kilometres an hour a true test of endurance. Racing camels have a specialised diet, being fed dates, fresh greens, barley, alfalfa and hay, with vitamin supplements.

As beasts of the desert, camels are superbly well equipped. They’ve been known to go without water for up to three weeks at a stretch, even in temperatures of 50°C. They’re able to make various physiological adaptations to survive in the extreme conditions, such as adapting their body temperatures to the surrounding temperature so they don’t lose precious water by sweating, and circulating water within their systems so they don’t need to urinate if they don’t get enough water.

Their large feet facilitate easy movement over soft sand, while the fact that camels have three ankle joints — unlike other mammals, including humans, which have two - allows them to flex their feet more, making it easier to ascend or descend the slopes of dunes.

Camels are even conservation-conscious. They are browsers and nibble at foliage, then move on, instead of wastefully uprooting whole plants, as other animals such as sheep and goats do, and leaving an area devoid of vegetation, in addition, as they move around, their long eyelashes and bristles on their snouts help pollinate bushes and trees.

Camels also provide an important link with tradition. Because racing camels and good breeding stock fetch such high prices, it enables older members of the Arab population, who want to live near nature in the traditional manner, to do just that while raising their camels. Although you may see many camels wandering on the roadside (and even on the road!), there are no feral camels in the UAE — they all belong to someone.
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samr1
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When is camel racing season?
zeemmee
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Nice article... just few points to add..

Camel milk Chocolates are available now.

Also coming up is camel milk Ice cream :045:
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