Wild Bactrian camels are critically endangered, surviving only in remote desert regions of Mongolia and China. Their conservation is essential for one of the world's most distinctive megafauna.
Wild Bactrian camel welfare is threatened primarily by hunting, which was historically significant and continues illegally, and by competition with domestic camels and livestock for scarce water sources in extreme desert environments. Mining activity disrupts their ranges and contaminates water sources. Climate change is reducing the frequency of rainfall events that produce the ephemeral vegetation they depend on. As a critically endangered species with very small population size, each individual's welfare significantly affects population viability. Conservation through protected areas, anti-poaching enforcement, and water source protection directly improves both individual welfare and population survival.