07/17/2026
We LOVE our camels and the folks we’ve met with them 🥰
But… we also get these😒 It’s a great example of WHY our camels need to keep getting out there and educating! How many problems can you find in this PM?
Let’s see 🤔
1) Camels are not “rescues” in the USA, they are in demand and hold their value. The last sick old camel we saw at auction was ~7K! 🤑While rare exceptions exist, the rescue industry has a problem with dishonest groups buying exotic animals. They pay market value or higher, claim they are rescuing, then use the animal to solicit funds on social media. Too often the animal enters a poor environment without experienced training and care. These selfish rescues CREATE the closest thing to camels needing rescue, and we’ve heard plenty of horror stories from the brave souls who finally end up with them!😬
2) Anthropomorphism (attributing human characteristics to animals) harms camels. People do it constantly and it’s not always wrong- but when it is, animals can suffer. 😥 For example, many critters (camels included!) show teeth in aggression or fear. This is dangerous if a human treats it as “happy smile” and the animal interprets a threat when a human “smiles” back. Bared teeth may provoke the animal to attack, and then it suffers the penalty.😭
A happy camel may look “sad and droopy” to the human eye: head down, eyes calm, pace steady. But relaxed, working camels ARE happy animals, and it’s not anthropomorphism - we’ve got evidence to prove it! Clinical studies show camels have more “happy” hormones & less “stress” hormones when they are working regularly with humans. 🐫 😊
3) All camels in the USA are DOMESTICATED: selectively bred for thousands of years for working, milking, etc. They’re also much tamer and less afraid of humans. Just like horses or other modern livestock, domestication has altered our camels’ genetics to become separate from the wild camel. Their natural environment is… a farm. 💁♂️
4) Tossing a camel in a lush green pen without camel companions, jobs, or interactions might look pretty to humans, but it is ill-suited for their body and miserable for their mind. They show signs of stress, illness, discomfort, mental disorders- and studies confirm these 😔
5) Camels are huge & potentially dangerous. They may kick, bite, or tackle people when scared. A fearful camel cannot be safely treated for injuries, travel to the vet, trainer, clinic, new pasture, etc without stress and fear, and extreme stress can kill them. 😰Handling and training builds trust, confidence, engagement... and prevents all these negatives!
An unhandled, fearful camel that reacts violently to humans is likely to become a dead camel – and anyone who purposefully advocates for that is not a friend to animals.😡
