If a row of camels is a caravan, while isn't a row of cars a camelavan? (Ans: because that's what is organized on a trip to Air Force Two.)
Posted on 04/25/2024 2:42:27 PM PDT by nickcarraway
For centuries, Somali pastoralists have relied on camels for sustenance, transport and social status. In recent decades, camel husbandry has evolved into a very profitable business, transforming the lives of many Somalis.
However, the mainstream media, using images of dry lands, would have us believe that this flourishing enterprise is threatened by man-made climate change.
Camel Husbandry in the Horn of Africa and Media Fearmongering
Camels, also known as “ships of the desert,” truly stand out as remarkable creatures perfectly tailored to thrive in the parched, windswept landscapes of arid and semi-arid regions across the globe.
In the dry lowlands of Eastern Africa – from the sandy stretches of Somalia and Sudan to the rugged terrains of Ethiopia, across the vibrant plains of Kenya and into the desolate beauty of Djibouti –these majestic animals are nurtured with care, their presence a testimony to a long heritage of camel rearing in these lands.
More than 35% of livestock in Somalia are camels, with more than 50% of the populace dependent on revenue from the sector and accounting for half of the country’s gross domestic product. Camels are the number one livestock export of Somalia. In the Benadir region, it is estimated that “31.2 percent of the households consumed camel meat once in a week whereas 68.8 percent of the households consumed camel meat once a month.”
Even in the neighboring country of Ethiopia, some regions rank camel as the economically most important livestock species.
Given the importance of camels to these communities and the region’s frequency of droughts, doomsday stories featuring imagery of parched landscapes can be effective tools for peddling fear about climate change. A TRT World news report titled “Just2Degrees: How Climate Change Affects Global Security” claimed that warming is destroying the Somalian herding community and its ability to profitably breed camels.
But the reality is different.
Actual Reality: Boom in Camel Population
Somalia’s camel populations have surged in recent decades, thanks to ideal conditions for breeding and the growing economic incentive farmers reap from the sale of camel meat and milk.The camel population doubled between 1961 and 2020 in northern and western parts of Africa (Algeria, Tunisia, South Morocco as former Western Sahara, Mauritania, Burkina Faso) and the Horn of Africa (Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia).
In Mali, Niger, Chad, Nigeria, Kenya, and Djibouti, the population increased by a factor of 12 since 1963. Scientists also believe that “despite a probable underestimation of the worldwide camel population (estimated at around 40 million head in 2020), its growth is higher than for the other herbivorous farm animals.”
Disease and Inbreeding Are Actual Challenges
The impact of drought in the region has been exaggerated. Recurrent drought has long been a common problem in African rangelands. The catastrophic Ethiopian Famine from 1888 to 1892 claimed the lives of as many as one in three Ethiopians—a dark period known as “kifu qan’”or the “evil days.”
Disease and poor breeding methods are the real challenges for camel husbandry. In a survey, 92 percent of the pastoralists in Somalia’s Benadir region reported that camel diseases were the major obstacle to production.
Scientists who analyzed the genetic diversity of camel population in Somalia suggest that “genetic improvement of camels will lead to increased production and productivity, including the development of breeds for specialized purposes (meat, milk, and leather).” Greater genetic diversity can reduce the risk of disease and improve production.
So, let’s set the record straight: News reports of climate change damaging camel husbandry are fearmongering that exaggerate the effects of weather and ignore real problems being addressed by this important business. Overall, Africa’s hump-backed creatures are doing fine and likely to do better with improved management practices.
Vijay Jayaraj is a Research Associate at the CO2 Coalition, Arlington, Virginia. He holds a master’s degree in environmental sciences from the University of East Anglia, U.K.
Oh my.
They don’t tell you because they cherry pick. You can always find examples of climate change occurring naturally. But if you ignore the examples you don’t like then it’s all bad. The U.N. has been caught red-handed deleting climate-related data because it doesn’t match their narrative of doom. So has NASA. You just can’t trust any science today when it’s about climate change.
Nothing is as is claimed it emanating from the feds. Camels were imported into our SW. Not a successful enterprise. Could not deal with horses mules coming the opposite way on narrow mountain passes. Some loss of life as I recall.
Climate Change....Fear Mongering.
Gee......there’s news.
so what did socialists use for transportation before camels?
gasoline powered vehicles ...
If a row of camels is a caravan, while isn't a row of cars a camelavan? (Ans: because that's what is organized on a trip to Air Force Two.)
That's the home of the ClimateGate scandal 15 years ago. Phil Jones and collaborator Wei-Chyung Wang of the University at Albany were accused of scientific fraud for suppressing data that cast doubt on a key 1990 study on the effect of cities on warming.
Vijay Jayaraj better watch it or he'll lose his position and won't be able to find work.
Bkmk
Bedu soap is some of the best in the world it’s made with Camel milk and it leaves the skin smooth oooo so smooth. The Sandalwood and Saffron version is a real manly scent it’s heavy on the sandalwood and has real sandalwood powder in it as exfoliating bits no microplastics.
It’s made by the Bedouin community by hand. It’s the only soap I use after discovering it on a trip to The Kingdom where they have a Bedouin presence. We ate camel under the stars with that community like lamb baby camel is milk fed and cook in the sand in a large clay Tagine with rice catching the drippings. It was an exquisite meal with live music and the milky way in all its glory above. One of my best memories from the Arabian Peninsula thank you ARAMCO from the all expenses paid trip.
SPIT!
Good one. But sadly, there is also truth to it. I was in Ghana and we stopped at a health spa to use the bathrooms. Among the many health treatment stations was a camel in an enclosed area. There was a sign providing instructions that the camel was there to provide comfort and pleasure for guests and to see the spa staff for assitance.
And why is all climate change bad? There’s nothing good?
You watch your mouth,pal! I rode a camel once in the UAE...wonderful creatures! :-)
They seem to treat climate change like the devil: always bad. In reality some places get wetter while others get dryer, some cooler while others warmer, etc. And life adapts to it because that’s how nature works. It can cause extinctions in some species but in others allows them to better thrive. It’s been that way for 3 or 4 billion years. But they’re only interested in the negative side because that brings attention to their cause.
The Aussie’s already killed 11,000 from the air in 2020 largely due too the damages these huge invasive animals in Oz cause. They did obligatory mention that camels produce the equivalent to 1 tonne of CO2 in methane per year so there is your answer. For reference the average American drives 14500 miles per year at 25 mpg using 580 gallons of petrol each of which produces 8.8kg of CO2. So 5.1 tonnes per year. The car to camel ratio is then 5 to 1. It’s a shame what the Aussie’s did so much wasted meat, quiet good meat it’s closer to veal than beef but still a red meat not gamey at all they are just cows of the desert after all. Four stomachs just like cattle, and their milk has twice the calcium, and near zero lactose for those genetically inferior people who do not carry the northwestern European lactose genes you need both for lifelong milk consumption.
In perspective camels are at least five times more efficient in producing milk and meat vs cattle per tonne of methane per year. On a local level methane is a real pollutant it breaks down in UV light to volatile organics and those form smog and ozone the chemistry is complicated but it is real. forget the climate commies but real pollution does exist and the air around feedlots is foul no one can argue against that. Camels being free range and therefore organic should be harvested not.just shot and left to rot. Such a waste God tells us to be good stewards of mother earth culling and letting rot is not anywhere close to that.
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