Improving welfare for the world's most important arid-land livestock species
Approximately 37 million camels (dromedary and Bactrian) provide essential livelihoods in arid regions of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Camels serve as draft animals, racing animals, milk producers, and meat animals. Their welfare is poorly studied compared to conventional livestock, but significant welfare concerns exist around training, racing, transport, and veterinary care access in pastoral systems.
Working camels in pastoral and transport contexts commonly suffer from saddle sores, hoof injuries from rocky terrain, dehydration from inadequate watering, and exhaustion from overwork. The Brooke (UK animal welfare charity) and other NGOs provide veterinary services and owner training in the Horn of Africa and Middle East to address these problems.
Camel racing is a major cultural institution in Gulf states, with prize values exceeding US$5 million at major events. Racing camels are selectively bred for speed and trained intensively. Welfare concerns include: overtraining in juveniles before musculoskeletal maturity; robotic jockeys (replacing child jockeys) that use remote-control whips without ability to assess animal welfare; transport stress for international competitions; and performance-enhancing drug use (EPO, steroids) causing health harms.
Pastoral camels often have minimal veterinary care access. Common untreated conditions include trypanosomiasis (nagana), mange, respiratory disease, and dental problems. Training veterinary personnel to work with camels and deploying mobile veterinary services in pastoral regions represents a high-impact welfare intervention. Camel-specific pharmaceutical dosing information is less well-developed than for cattle and horses.