Our newest arrival, a young Bactrian camel, may not be bringing gifts of gold, frankincense or myrrh with him following his journey but he has made Wacker, our 20 year old Bactrian camel very happy this Christmas.

Wacker’s keepers had been searching for a companion for Wacker since his old friend of 17 years, Tabitha, passed away and were determined to find a friend for lonely Wacker before Christmas arrived. The Welsh Mountain Zoo answered the calls for help and Marmaduke, a nine month old Bactrian camel made the journey from Wales earlier this month.

Marmaduke is half Wacker’s lofty height of 8ft and at 200kg it will take the youngster several years before he matches Wacker’s 1 tonne weight. At 20 years old, Wacker is one of Marwell’s oldest residents and is already helping the young Marmaduke to feel at home. Simon Hawker, head keeper for the camels said: “Despite their large age gap they are getting on really well and are enjoying getting to know to each other. Within hours of meeting, the two camels were nuzzling up to each other and Wacker has now taken on the role of uncle to Marmaduke and enjoys looking after him, I’m sure this has helped Marmaduke settle in so quickly.”

Wild Bactrian camels live in small groups and are superbly adapted to life in the harsh Gobi and Gashun Gobi Deserts, two of the most hostile regions on the planet. They have a double row of long eyelashes and hairs inside the ears to help protect against damage from sand. Camels feed mainly on shrubs; their humps act as a rich fat store and is used as a reserve when food is scarce. This enables the camels to go for several days at a time without eating or drinking. Despite the common misconception water is not stored in the camels’ humps. Upon finding water they will drink vast quantities, sometimes as much as 57 litres to restore their normal amount of body fluid. If no fresh water is available they can drink salt water with no ill effects; the only mammal that is capable of this. 

The species has suffered a drastic reduction in its range and less than 1000 individuals survive in only four locations in China and Mongolia. In contrast, there are over 2 million domestic Bactrian camels living in Central Asia. The Mongolian population has almost halved in the last twenty years, and with the Chinese population just as serious, they are officially classified are Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Wild Bactrian camels have been heavily hunted for their meat and hide over the centuries and continue to be persecuted. Competition with domestic camels and livestock for the precious water and grazing land as well as hybridisation with domestic camels poses a further threat to their survival.

23 December 2008

 

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