Endangered Ark

Bactrian Camel

Camelus bactrianus

4 of Hearts

Art by Foxfeather Ženková

http://www.foxloft.com

foxfeather@foxloft.com

Minnesota

A lot of people don’t think of camels as being an endangered species, especially with them being relatively common in captivity and feral camel populations in Australia - but the Bactrian camel is hovering on the edge of extinction.

Most of the less than thousand Bactrian camels left live in the Gobi desert, one of the most extreme climates on earth. Surviving with less than four inches of rainfall a year and weather varying from over a 105 degrees in the summer to 40 below in the winter, you might think these camels would be nearly bulletproof. In reality, almost the exact opposite is true - with such harsh environmental pressures, the effects of human encroachment have become the proverbial straw to break a camel’s back.

The camels themselves are targets for poachers and their last remaining strongholds are being overtaken for mining and even nuclear weapons testing. Global climate change is also making the Gobi desert even more unforgiving. The future of the wild Bactrian camel (now considered distinct from its domestic cousin) depends on preservation of its habitat and the welfare of the small group that is left.