• IDENTIFICATION
• LEGAL CLUSTERS
• GEOGRAPHIC CLUSTERS
• TRADE CLUSTERS
• ENVIRONMENT CLUSTERS
• OTHER FACTORS

I. Identification

Dromedary Camel (Arabian Camel)

SIZE: Height 7 ft., Weight= 9001,400lbs.

RANGE: Sahara Desert, Middle East to N. India.

HABITAT: Desert.

DIET: Herbivore: thorny plants, dry grasses, saltbush.

LIFE SPAN: 45 yrs.

STATUS: Domesticated; not found in wild except feral herdswhich escaped from captivity.


Physical Characteristics


Natural History


Conservation/Biodiversity


Economic Benefits for Humans


Other Comments

ADAPTATIONS:

• ANATOMY: Fat (not water) stored in hump on back provides energyduring long periods without food; lips thickened to eat coarse,thorny plants; wooly fur coat provides warmth during cold desertnights and daytime insulation from heat; have acquired calluseson knees & sternum because they kneel down to be mounted.
• SENSES: Keen eyesight and smell; adapted for protection againstblowing sand & dust with double row of long eyelashes andability to close nostrils.
• LOCOMOTION: Broad feet of 2 toes on undivided soles adaptedfor walking easier on sand; move both legs on 1 side at same time(pace); can travel 600 miles across waterless desert in cool season;strong homing sense.
• HABITS: Conserve water by producing dry feces and little urine;also allows body temperature to raise 10` to 15`F. during hotweather to reduce need for evaporative cooling by sweating.
• REPRODUCTION: Males aggressive during mating season; Gestation lasts 370440 days; Young walk within 23 hours; nurse for morethan one yr.
• BENEFIT TO MAN: Domesticated; used as beast of burden; alsoprovides milk, meat, wool, & leather; Dried manure used forfuel.
• MISC.: Bactrian camels have 2 humps.

  1. The Issue

  

  The wild two-humped Bactrian camel, camelus bactrianus ferus, is indigenous to Mongolia. It was domesticated at least three thousand years ago.

  The camel is one of the tavunhorshoo,'five snouts,' the five domesticated animals of Mongolia on which the country's herding economy depends: horse,cow/yak, sheep, goat, and camel. Camels are raised all over Mongolia, but are found particularly in the four Gobi aimags (provinces) in the south.

  As a means of transport, the camel has for centuries been vital for trade acrossthe arid wastes of the country. The camel can carry at least 200 kilos of goods and walks at five kilometers per hour in its peculiar rolling gait. In other words, it is as fast as a packhorse, and has three times the carrying capacity. Unloaded, a camel can outrun a horse. In winter it continues to work through minus-twenty-degree temperatures. Because of the camel, the semi-deserts of the Gobi have not formed a barrier between Mongolia and the south. Even now, camels carry up to thirty percent of the cargo traffic in the Gobi.

  
  

  Watering camels in the Gobi is hard work. Most wells are draw-wells, not mechanically operated, and the water, often more than thirty feet deep, has tobe raised by hand. As each camel drinks about 100-120 liters at a time (a horsedrinks 40-50 liters), watering a herd can take several hours. A camel can gonine days without water, 33 days without food, though these are extremes whichit is rarely forced to experience. A camel with two firm humps is in good health and has been recently fed and watered; if one or both of the humps droop, thecamel needs some sustenance.

  Besides its usefulness as a beast of burden, the camel gives five to eight kilos of wool per year, and up to 600 liters of milk a year. The milk is used formaking hoormog, a kind of alcoholic tonic drink, as well as butter and different kinds of cheeses.

  Camel meat is also valued, which has led to a precipitous fall in the number ofcamels in Mongolia in recent years. In 1994 the government placed a ban onkilling camels -- herders were slaughtering their camels in lieu of smalleranimals to fulfill the meat quotas, calculated by weight, that they must supply to cooperatives.

  The Great Gobi Strictly Protected Area, 5.3 million hectares of protected landin the Southern Altai region, was created in 1975. It provides a final refuge for wild camels, the last surviving wild ancestors of the world's domestic camels. Perhaps 300 wild camels still remain in the Gobi, though there have been no recent surveys of this unusual animal, and the number is necessarily a roughestimate.
  
  
  
  
  

  2. Description

  Interestingly, the camel family originated and evolved in North America, where camels are now extinct. About 2 to 3 million years ago, ancestors of today's camels migrated to South America, where their descendants, llamas, alpacas, guanacos, and vicunas, still live. Another part of the family migrated to Asia, where they evolved into what we know today as camels.

  
  
  Camels are divided into two species, the dromedary, or one-humped camel, which once roamed wild in the deserts of North Africa and Arabia but now exists only in a domesticated state; and the Bactrian camel, native to Central Asia, where a small number still lives in the wild stretches of the Gobi Desert. The Bactrian camels are distinguished most noticeably by their two humps. Their coat is darker and woollier and they have shorter legs than the dromedary. Although zoologists once thought the Bactrian camels of the Gobi were feral (domesticated camels that escaped and established themselves in the desert), scientists now believe they are truly wild. Unfortunately, despite the creation of a preserve, their numbers are very limited, probably fewer than 1,000, and they are considered endangered. In contrast, a large population of the domesticated Bactrian camel still exists.

  
  
  Bactrian camels are a excellent example of an animal that has adapted well to its environment. They are able to survive on the arid Asian steppes because of the biological strategies that enable them to cope with the severe temperature changes common to the Central Asia. Camels can graze on a wide range of plants and thorny vegetation that other mammals avoid. Most striking is their ability to survive long periods without water-a characteristic that humans recognized as useful and used for their own purposes.

  The camel's body conserves water by producing dry feces and concentrated urine. Body temperature may fluctuate by as much as 57 degrees Fahrenheit during the course of a day, which enables the animal to minimize water loss due to sweating. Although a camel may look scrawny and emaciated after a long, dry spell and its humps may become flaccid and flop to one side, it fills out quickly as soon as it gets water. In fact, a thirsty camel may drink up to 40 gallons in ten minutes. Its humps serve as storage facilities for body fat, so the camel can survive the grueling journeys across the desert where food is not readily found. Built-in protection against blowing desert sands include the camel's long eyelashes which protect the eyes and nostrils that can be closed during sand storms. Even the camel's nasal cavities help to reduce water loss by moistening inhaled air. The thick coat of fur and underwool provide warmth during cold desert nights and help insulate against the burning mid-day sun.

  Just as the bison played a central role in the lives of the American Indians of the Great Plains of this continent, the camel has been vital in the lives of the various peoples living in a vast region that stretches across North Africa and the Middle East into Central Asia and China. In contrast to the bison, the camel was domesticated by humans, who were able to exploit the animal's superb adaptations to inhospitable environments for their own use. The Bactrian camel was probably domesticated before 2500 BC in the plateaus of northern Iran and southwestern Turkestan.

  From there domestication spread east to Iraq, India, and China. Not only were camels used for pack animals and transportation, but their hair provided fiber for a fine felt, their milk and meat sustained humans, and dried manure was (and still is) an invaluable source of fuel on the steppe and desert areas where timber is not available.

  Certainly, as long as the camel is able to play an important role in the daily life of so many varied people, it will continue to flourish as a valued domesticated animal. However, even though the domesticated population of the Bactrian camel seems fairly well assured, it is important that the wild population be preserved as well in order to retain as much genetic diversity as possible. I hope you will add this calf to your collection as a reminder of the efforts being made to preserve this species whose history has become so intertwined with our own.

  3. Related Cases

  Rhino case

  Hoof Case

  Zebra Case

  Ivory Case

  Vicuna Case

  Camelid Case

  Bison Case

  Eumeat CAse

  Madcow Case

  Cashmere Case

  Kangaroo Case

  4. Draft Author: Emmanuel Ruiz

  Note Date: February 26, 1998

  II. Legal Clusters

  5. Discourse and Status:

  Agree and In Progress.

  6. Forum and Scope:

  Esat Asia, Africa, Middle East and Substate.

  7. Decision Breadth:

  The Dromedary is no longer considered as a wild animal. It is agreed upon that the dromedary has become a dosmeticated animal.

  8. Legal Standing:

  International Agreement.

  Under the Animal Welfare Act The Animal Welfare Act (NWA), enacted in 1966, aiding in the prevention of unnecessary cruelty to animals. The law state that it is the government's responsibility to treat all animals (that includes the dromedary) in a humane way, specifically concerning animal research and the handling of animals used in commerce. The Act is widely tailored and includes most aspects of animal welfare. The law has clauses dealing with the treatment of animals in pet stores, hunting dogs, research animals and even circus animals. The law was created to ensure that those individuals involved in the use of animals as a business, treat them in a humane and ethical way. The Animal Welfare Act is administered by the Department of Agriculture.

  III. Geographic Clusters

  9. Geographic Locations

  a. Geographic Domain: Asia, Africa, Midlle East.

  b. Geographic Site: East Asia, Sahara, Gobi.

  c. Geographic Impact: China and Mongolia.
  
  

  The dromedary camel occupies arid regions of the Middle East through northern India and arid regions in Africa, most notably, the Sahara Desert. The species has also been introduced into dry and arid regions of central Australia (Nowak 1991).

  ^ Physical Characteristics

  Mass: 300 to 690 kg

  The dromedary camel is characterized by a long-curved neck, deep-narrow chest, and a single hump. The hump is composed of fat bound together by fibrous tissue, acting as food storage in times of need. The size of the hump varies with the nutritional status of the camel, becoming smaller to non-existent during times of starvation. The lips of the dromedary camel are thickened to allow consumption of course, thorny plants. Dromedaries are typically caramel brown or sandy brown in color, however, shades can range from almost black to nearly white. Hair length is longer on the throat, shoulder, and hump areas. The feet of dromedaries are pad-shaped and adapted for traveling on sand. They can be easily injured on sharp stones and are unsuitable for slippery or muddy conditions. Male dromedaries, in comparison to females, are about 10% heavier, weighing 400-600 kg, and are about 10 cm taller at shoulder height, measuring 1.8-2.0 m. Additionally, male dromedaries have an inflatable soft palate which is used to attract females. Dromedary camels have a total of 34 teeth, with a dental formula of 1/3; 1/1; 3/2; 3/3. (Kohler-Rollefson 1991)

  ^ Natural History

  Food Habits

  

  The dromedary camel is a herbivore. The camel eats primarily thorny plants, dry grasses and saltbush; however, it will eat most anything that grows in the desert (Oakland Zoo 1993). Dromedaries primarily browse, with shrubs and forbs composing up to 70% of their diet. About 8-12 hours/day is spent grazing with equal amounts spent ruminating (Kohler-Rollefson 1991). When foraging, camels tend to spread over large areas and select only a few leaves from each plant. This type of feeding behavior reduces the stress on the plant communities and eases competition with other arid region herbivores (Busch Gardens 1996). Additionally, dromedaries need 6 to 8 times as much salt as other animals for adsorption and storage of water. Consequently, 1/3 of their food intake must be halophytes. Dromedaries browse up to a height of 3.5 m, breaking off branches or stripping off the leaves in one movement. While browsing, they use their lips to grasp the food, then chew each bite 40-50 times. The mouth is kept open while chewing thorny food (Kohler-Rollefson 1991).

  Reproduction

  The dromedary camel has a lifespan of about 40-50 years (Busch Gardens 1996). Females reach sexual maturity around age 3 and mate around age 4 or 5. Males begin to rut by age 3, but do not reach full sexual maturity until age 6. Typically, males and females are seasonal breeders. Breeding occurs in winter and overlaps with the rainy season; both vary in respect to the camel's geographic range. The onset of the breeding season is believed to be cued by nutritional status of the camel and the daylength. During competition for females, the males threaten each other by making low noises with the fleshy fold of their mouths, stand as tall as possible, and repeat a series of head movements including lowering, lifting, and bending their necks backwards. Upon confrontation, fighting males attempt to bring their opponent to the ground by biting at his legs and taking the opponent's head in between his jaws. Copulation time ranges from 7-35 minutes, averaging 11-15 minutes. The gestation period typically lasts for a period of 15 months, followed by the birth of a single calf. The calf can move freely by the end of the first day. Maternal care generally lasts for 1 to 2 years. Calves typically experience a growth rate of .19-.31 kg/day for the first year. (Gauthier-Pilthers and Dagg 1981, Kohler-Rollefson 1991)

  Behavior

  With the exception of rutting males, dromedaries show very little aggressive behavior. Confrontations among dromedaries include pushing each other with their whole body or lowered head and neck; snapping at each other without biting; and occasionally vomiting cud when they are hurt or excited. Dromedaries usually form groups of 2-20 individuals. The basic social unit is the family, consisting of one male, and one to several females, subadults, and young. The male within the family unit prevents contact between female camels within the family and stray males by either standing or walking in between them, or by driving the stray males away. The male is the dominant member of the family group and directs the family from the rear while the females take turns leading. Dromedaries tend to travel by walking single file. Dromedary camels find comfort in scratching parts of their body with their front or hind legs, or with their lower incisors. They are also often observed rubbing against trees. Additionally, they seem to like to roll in sand (Gauthier-Pilthers and Dagg 1981, Kohler-Rollefson 1991).

  Habitat

  The camels prefer desert conditions characterized by a long dry season and a short rainy season. Introduction of the dromedary into other climates has proven unsuccessful as the camel is sensitive to the cold and humidity (Nowak 1991).

  Biomes: desert

  ^ Conservation/Biodiversity

  Status: no special status

  Since the dromedary camel is domesticated, the camel has no special status in conservation (Busch Gardens 1996).

  ^ Economic Benefits for Humans

  Positive

  The dromedary camel is used as a beast of burden by humans and also provides humans with milk, meat, wool, leather, and fuel from dried manure. Through these services, the dromedary camel has enabled humans to inhabit the seemingly inhabitable desert. Dromedary husbandry is increasing today, and is being recognized as an ecologically-sound method of producing protein rich food in drought-stricken areas (Phoenix Zoo 1995).

  Negative

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  ^ Other Comments

  The dromedary camel has remarkable adaptations for a desert lifestyle. The camel's eyes are protected from blowing sand and dust by a double row of eyelashes. Additionally, on the onset of a sandstorm, the camel has the ability to close its nostrils to prevent sand from entering (Phoenix Zoo 1995).

  Dromedaries are able to conserve water in a variety of ways. Water is conserved by the camel's ability to fluctuate its body temperature throughout the day from 34 degrees Celsius to 41.7 degrees Celsius. The fluctuation in body temperature allows the camel to conserve water by not sweating as the external temperature rises. Groups of camels also avoid the excess heat from the environment by pressing against each other. The dromedary camel can tolerate greater that 30% water loss of its body mass, a condition which is lethal for most other mammals at 15%. Water is expended primarily from interstitial and intracellular bodily fluids. Furthermore, dromedaries can rehydrate quickly, being capable of drinking 100 L of water in just 10 minutes, a feat which would be lethal to any other mammals. (Schmidt-Nielsen 1979, Schmidt-Nielsen et al 1956)

  The dromedary camel is no longer considered a wild animal. The camel is a semi-domesticated animal, freely ranging, but under herdsman control. In fact, dromedaries have been "extinct" from the wild for the past 2000 years. The earliest evidence for dromedary domestication dates back about 4,000 years ago on a small island off the Abu Dhabi coast. Northern Arabian tribes began to use the dromedary as a riding animal around 3,100 years ago. In later years, the camel was bred by the various cultures (Kohler-Rollefson 1991).

  10. Sub-National Factors:

  Yes, Trade, Tourism and Transportation.

  11. Type of Habitat:

  Desert (see description above).

  IV. Trade Clusters

  12. Type of Measure:

  Import standards.

  13. Direct v. Indirect Impacts:

  Direct.

  14. Relation of Trade Measure to Environmental Impact

  a. Directly Related to Product: Yes.

  b. Indirectly Related to Product: No.

  c. Not Related to Product: Yes.

  d. Related to Process: No. The Dromedaries have never been able to live in a humid environment. Hence, they are not likely to live anywhere else than in a desert type of habitat. Moreover, the very strong aridity of a desert is not likely to offer opportunities for other species to be introduced and affect the Dromedary environment. Only, toxic dumping could endanger their life.

  15. Trade Product Identification:

  Tourism is the traded product through which the Dromedary is being threatened.

  16. Economic Data

  Cost/Benefit Analysis

  It is rather difficult to estimate the price/value per year of a dromedary. ALthough there are not considered as "endangered per se," dromedaries do generate a lot of money for Asian merchants. Therefore, here is an estimated value per year for a dromedary:
  

  Dromedary:
  food = herbivore (no cost)
  water = (no cost)
  milk (100 gallons a year = $400)
  meat (estimated $3000) not to be included for saving a dromedary
  wool (can produce about $200 worth of wool)
  leather (unavailable)
  Utility/value for merchants ($1000)
  Overall the estimated price per year required to save 1 Dromedary is equal to : $1,600

  17. Impact of Trade Restriction:

  AS of today, there is no existing measure to deal with the issue in so far as proposed legislation, or global standards since the dromedary is not considered an endangered species per se.

  18. Industry Sector:

  Manufacture, Food industry (milk, Meat, whool, leather) and Tourism.

  19. Exporters and Importers:

  Importer: Foreign countries, other states. exporter: China, mongolia, Northern Africa, Middle East, Tourism, traders, and firms involved in the trade of milk, meat, wool, leather.

  V. Environment Clusters

  20. Environmental Problem Type:

  Bio-diversity and species loss.

  21. Name, Type, and Diversity of Species

  

  Name: Dromedary

  Type: Camel

  Diversity: Mammals

  22. Resource Impact and Effect:

  : Low and Regulatory.

  The control of tourist degradation of the Dromedary habitat is the main threat to their survival.

  23. Urgency and Lifetime:

  Low and Fourty years.

  24. Substitutes:

  None

  VI. Other Factors

  25. Culture:

  Yes.

  26. Trans-Boundary Issues:

  Yes.

  27. Rights:

  Yes.

  28. Relevant Literature

  Busch Gardens. 1996. Animal Bytes: Dromedary Camel. http://www.crusher.bev.net/education/seaworld/animal_bytes/dromedary_camelab.html.

  Gauthier-Pilthers H. and A. Dagg. 1981. The camel, its evolution, ecology, behavior and relationship to man. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

  Grzimek, Bernard, Animal Life Encyclopedia, 1972.

  Kohler-Rollefson. 1991. Camelus dromedarius. In: Mammalian Species. No. 375.

  Murray E. Fowler, Medicine and Surgery of South American Camelids (Llama, Alpaca, Vicuna, Guanaco).

  Hamlyn, LaRousse Encyclopedia of Animal Life, 1974.

  Macdonald, David W. ed., Encyclopedia of Mammals, 1985.

  Nowak, R.M. (ed). 1991. Walker's Mammals of the World. Vol II. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.

  Oakland Zoo. 1997. Dromedary Camel. http://www.oaklandzoo.org/oz/zoo/atoz/azcamel.html.

  Phenoix Zoo. 1995. Dromedary Camel (Arabian Camel) http://www.aztec.inre.asu.edu/phxzoo/camel_dr.html.

  Schmidt-Nielsen, K. 1979. Desert Animals, Physiological Problems of Heat and Water. New York: Dover Publications Inc.

  Schmidt-Nielsen, B. K. Schmidt-Nielsen, T.R. Houpt and S.A. Jarnum. 1956. Water balance of the camel. American Journal of physiology. 185: 185-194.

  Walker, Ernest P., Mammals of the World, 1975.

  
  

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