Earth & Environmentally Friendly Camels

One of the main reasons we’re so ‘into camels’ is because of their built in environmental friendliness, so in light of Global Earth Day we have some fun Enviro Friendly camel facts for you!

We not only adore the camel’s ‘dog like’ personalities, but also, owning and caring for camels is not making a big impact on mother earth and climate change.

Often when humans domesticate an animal they over complicate their care & feed. Camels are simple, yet biologically complex, so that they can live simply and conserve as much as possible!

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Let's look at their feet for example: Soft padded (non hoofed) feet mean that they can walk without leaving any trace on where they’ve been. Take for example, waterholes, you’ll find very little evidence that a camel has been there compared to hooved animals.

Their eating habits are eco friendly too (in a variety filled, natural environment)! When a camel eats a tree or shrub they don’t eat the branches (they have no front teeth, just a hard plate). What they will do instead is ‘strip’ the leaves off the branch, which in a few weeks' time will have new growth again (in time for the next round of browsing). 

You might be thinking “well my camels have wreaked all my trees” (we know ALL about this!) That would be because of the lack of variety in feed, remember camels are browsers by nature (not ground feeders / grazers).

And where do we start with the camel’s amazing capability to store water and food in their fat stores and then, when needed, convert the fat back into food / water (whatever they might need) - Incredible! 

Time to talk Camel Sh*t…

What about a camel’s methane (poo) production…? Camel’s are frugal methane producers even in domestic situations! Some domesticated animals add to the methane which is warming the atmosphere but not camels! Plus, camel Sh*t, when dry, can be used to make paper & as fuel for fires - Sh*t Hot!

There’s a saying “The camel was designed by The Horse Committee” - admittedly they really are perfectly designed!

This is just a small glimpse of how the camel is Earth and Environmentally Friendly in their  ideal, variety filled environment - which for us camel owners & carers, that’s up to us!

How can you help your camels live up to it’s full, environmental friendliness..?

Here are some tips to help your camels be even more environmentally friendly in a domestic situation. 

1. Plant a Camel Browse Laneway or Area: Plant rows or a fenced laneway of camel friendly trees, shrubs & bushes for the camels to browse through (when the trees / shrubs are established).

Pro Tip: Have the camel on a lead while they browse so there's no risk to squash trees/shrubs OR if you have a herd of camels, like we do, plant a Camel Browsing Laneway and ‘herd’ the camels from behind through the laneway one or two times a week - depending on the amount of trees / shrubs.

If you’re not in a position to plant trees or shrubs simply take your camels on a walk to browse for food with the added bonus of self trimming their toe nails as they walk on rough ground!

Wondering what plants are safe for camels? We have a Camel Nutrition & Toxic Plants lesson awaiting you in our Cameleer Academy - join HERE.

2. Conserve Water: In most situations (excluding extreme heat) camels don’t need water every single day depending on what they are eating. If a camel is grazing pasture or plants and it’s not scorching hot, they get a lot of their water intake from the moisture in the plants they are eating (and in the air).

In winter time they absorb the moisture from frost, dew & snow through their incredibly designed nostrils and use it to hydrate - in short, they are doing exactly what they are designed to do!

We hear you saying “Is is bad for a camel to have access to water all the time?” No, if a camel has access to water (and food) all the time they will take it - camel’s are 1000% opportunists (because they don’t know when the next drought will be)!

If your camels are mainly eating dry forage / hay they will get really thirsty as there is zero moisture in feeds like hay and pellets etc (wondering what the ingredients should be in a Camel Pellet…? We have a Camel Vet formulated ‘Camel Pellet’ print out to give to your local Miller to mix up, it’s all in The Academy, join HERE).

3. Lastly, a Camel’s Insulation. A camel’s wool and incredibly thick skin acts as an insulation in the hot summer sun and the cold winters. A Camel will adapt to their environment by growing wool to suit their environment. 

Conserve and Conserve some more said the camel: 

In the summertime you’ll see camels, more often than not, facing directly towards the sun in a sitting position (Hooshed), besides the fact that they are sun worshipers, they are actually trying to converse water, because facing the sun, head on, means less heat around the rest of their body. In the winter time, if a camel is after warmth they’ll position themselves more side on to generate more heat so they don’t have to withdraw from their fat stores. Clever huh!

Another great thing about the camel’s wool is that it self sheds! 

That’s right, no shearing needed and the wool is a great resource for the human folk - talk about recycle! (Pro Tip: if you raise chicks & ducklings etc use the camel’s wool in your brooders, the chicks and ducklings LOVE it and stay ultra warm like they would under a hen or duck).

We hope you enjoyed this read on how biologically amazing the camel is! As always if you’re keen to learn more about the camel’s amazingness, including biology (in no-tech terms), psychology (how they think), personalities and more join us in the Cameleer Academy, it’s like Nextflix for the camel lover (Camelflix) - Join HERE

Happy Camel Connecting!