Pastoralism — mobile livestock herding — is the dominant land use across the drylands of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Djibouti, supporting 12-15 million people and hundreds of millions of livestock animals. Climate change is intensifying droughts that create extreme livestock welfare crises.
Camels — physiologically adapted to aridity — are the most drought-resilient pastoral animal in the Horn. Even so, extreme multi-year droughts push camels beyond their physiological tolerance. Pregnant and lactating females are most vulnerable. Traditional camel husbandry involves seasonal migration, minimal confinement, and natural social groups — welfare conditions far superior to intensive systems. Veterinary access is limited in remote pastoral areas; disease treatments are often traditional and variable in efficacy.
Emergency destocking programs — purchasing livestock before drought kills them, providing cash to pastoralists while removing animals from overstressed range — are a welfare intervention. Animals sold can be slaughtered for local food aid or moved to better grazing, preventing slow deaths from starvation. The welfare-positive outcome: preventing prolonged suffering vs. the welfare cost of slaughter.
Restocking programs — providing replacement animals after droughts end — have been shown to restore pastoral livelihoods and improve animal welfare outcomes in subsequent years. Well-planned restocking with locally adapted, disease-resistant breeds reduces mortality and stress in recovered herds. This One Welfare approach recognizes that pastoral animal welfare and human welfare are inseparable in these systems.