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Camels on way out in Rajasthan
by Lokendra Singh
Jaipur: Camels in Rajasthan are facing difficult times as their numbers are dwindling. Many camel owners find it too costly to keep their pet camels and most of them are being sold off resulting in a sharp decline in their overall population in the state. Most farmers and villagers in rural Rajasthan are changing over to modern methods of transportation and are relying less on less on camels for travel. Camel, the gangly brown-humped animal, popular as the 'ship of the desert', has been a great help for travel in harsh desert conditions. There was a time when it was the sole means to cover the vast sandy landscapes in the State famous for its annual camel fair. The camel drawn carts can still be found on the streets of Rajasthan. Farmers like to use them in agriculture, transport and commuting. "The decreasing number of camels is directly linked to the drought conditions in the State. Owners don't have water and fodder for the camels. Also, sometimes the animal needs medicines. So, it's very difficult to keep the animal. All this has made us sell our camels," said Ganpat Singh, a camel owner and trader.
Every year apprehensions of drought loom large over the State. The desert State of Rajasthan, with a primarily agrarian economy, witnessed five consecutive droughts until 2003 when the State received good rains. Records say that while in 1997 camels formed 6.8 per cent of the total livestock in the State, in 2003, the humped animal constituted only 1 per cent. But there are few experts who blame the reason for such a precarious condition on Governments negligence. "The utility of the animal has decreased which has led to the decrease in its numbers. The other reason is that the government is not doing much. In countries like Israel and Africa, special development studies are being carried out to check the decline of camels. However, there are no such studies being done in India. Attention is given to other animals in our country but nothing is being done for the camels and they are totally neglected and this is the reason for the decline in their population," says M S Rathore, a senior scientist at the Institute of Development Studies in Jaipur.
A
companion of the desert dwellers these herbivorous animals are commonly
caramel brown or sandy brown in colour. They weigh about an average of
600 to 1,500 pounds and stand 6 to 7 feet tall at the hump, with a lifespan
of 40 to 50 years. What makes these animals indispensable in desert terrain
is their ability to survive for days without any sustenance. This is possible
as the camel's hump stores fat, which is used as a source of energy. In
Rajasthan, camels are commonly used in the western parts such as Barmer,
Jaisalmer, Bikaner and Hanumangarh. The statistics of the Food and Agriculture
Organisation indicate that the camel population of Asia has fallen by
one-fifth in the last 10 years alone. In 2004, the number of Camels dropped
from 4.5 million in 1994 to 3.5 million in 2004.
-Jan
18, 2006
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