African camels are dying due to high temperature

Camels are known as ships of the desert, but even these hardy animals aren’t far from Africa’s rising temperatures.

The Afar region in northeastern Ethiopia is one of the hottest and driest places on earth, and nomads lead camel caravans as they pack salt across the desert.

“I have seen my camels suffering from extreme heat,” Ali Umar, a camel herder in Afar, Samara, told the BBC.

“They get blisters on their feet, their eyes water and when they sit down, the hot sand burns their skin and eats their hair,” said the 40-year-old, who owns about 500 camels.

“In the last month, I have lost eight camel calves due to extreme heat, it has become very intense and difficult.

“Even the wind that used to bring cold air is now carrying heat,” the director said, adding that they have noticed these drastic changes in temperature in recent years.

He’s not alone in his observations: Scientists, animal welfare workers and various studies cite stress, fatigue, dehydration, and the spread of disease as direct effects of high temperatures.

High temperatures also indirectly cause camels to suffer from high water loss, reduced vegetation and shade areas.