Engaging Opportunities for Camel Production

Abstract

The natural ability of the camel to produce milk, meat, fiber, hide and energy and its contribution to pastoralist livelihood can be improved from perspectives of productivity enhancement, value addition, market access, and institutional support.

The global scientific research in camel deals with basic science, technology development, and transfer. Besides the above significances, research effort on camel in Africa particularly in Ethiopia has also lagged behind other species and an urgent course of action is needed to benefit pastoralists and agro-pastoralists. Assessment of thesis research indicated only 4.4 % of the studies by graduate students of Animal Sciences Department at currently Haramaya University from 1981-2005 were in camel suggesting camel is the least studied and many aspects of camel remain to be investigated (Eyassu,2007).

A sound approach in speeding up camel research requires a thorough understanding of what has been done so far, identification of major gaps and intervention areas. The first attempt of comprehensive document in camel research dates back to the work of Mugerawa (1981), which was limited to the dromedary camel and African situation. The current document covers comprehensive information on the dromedary camel (Camelus dromedaries) and Bactrain (Camelus bactrainus) supported with information generated in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia during the last three decades.

The information provided in this document is therefore meant to contribute towards better understanding of basic science of camel, technology/information available and intervention areas to benefit pastoralists and agro-pastoralists.

Origin and Evolution of Camels

C amel is a large hornless ruminant long necked, cushion-footed quadruped with one hump (Arabian) or two humps (Bactrian) (Concise Oxford Dictionary, 1975). Camel belongs to the class of mammalian, sub-order of ruminant under the group of Tylopodia (Mason, 1979) in the family of Camelidae. The family Camelidae consists of two genera i.e Camelus and Lama, 2 species of domestic camel (Camelus dromedaries and Camelus bactrianus) and 4 species of Lama. The third and often missed species under Camelidae is the wild species, which is, recently recognized (ICN, 2003) by specific name of Camelus ferus.

The origin of camels is usually traced to the North American continent during the Eocene period and disappeared from the mother continent as part of the extinction of North American Pleistocene mammals. During this period, some Camelidae have migrated to Asia while others migrated to South America (Novoa, 1970; Williamson and Payne, 1978; Yagil, 1982). While both camels and llamas evolved from common North American ancestors over one million years ago, no significant differences exist between the various species except for sex differences (Framandez-Baca, 1978). Taylor et al 1968 showed that the species of camelidae have 74 chromosomes similar to the number found in llama suggesting the evolutionary changes that occurred were due to single gene or minor chromosome rearrangements.

The modern one-humped camel or dromedary (the name derived from Greek dromados, meaning “running”) is generally thought to have evolved from the two humped Bactrian species (Mugerwa, 1981). The first camels, which probably reached North Africa, were more closely related to the two-humped camel (Camelus bactrianus) although the stock became extinct and subsequent re-introduction of the camel to Africa involved the dromedary.

The one humped camel sometimes referred as Arabian camel is thought to have been domesticated and extensively employed in Southern Arabia around 3000 B.C. (Mason, 1979) while the Border of Iran and the USSR were the first homeland of Bactrian around 2500 B.C. (Bulliet,1975). The substitution of bactrian by dromedary in some places has occurred because the pastoralists of Syria and Arabia valued the one humped camel both as an animal and as an count of its products while the Bactrian was raised by Asian people who had alternative sources for milk, meat and wool (Bulliet, 1975).

Entry of camel in to Africa involved issues on mode of entry as wild form and the route of entry. The recent archeological evidence suggests that two routs of entry, i.e., the north route and the south route (Saber, 2012). Wild camels appear to have survived in North Africa into the Neolithic period. However, their complete absence from the early Saharan rock drawings and from writings and tomb and temple paintings of dynastic Egypt indicates that by historical times wild camels had died out in North Africa. The domesticated camels enter Egypt after that time. This may lead us to support the north route of domesticated camel entry via Sinai i.e. the north route of entry.