dromedaries

Commonly called camels, we at Desert Therapy always refer to them as such, they are actually dromedaries who live in the groups accompanying the Saharan caravans, including our own. The real ones are two-humped, Asian camels, who will be with us in October when we will travel along the Taklimakan Desert in China. Dromedaries have one hump that constitutes their food supply: machines seemed created just to live in the sand. Their water autonomy is impressive, and they can go up to ten days without water with temperatures around 50 degrees Celsius. I have personally witnessed this during my crossing with the salt caravan in Niger. The hoofs contain a gelatin substance allowing them to adapt to the ground, their soft or stony eyes are protected by long eyelashes to protect them from the sand, and their noses and ears are positioned so that even the most violent of storms of sand won’t damage them. The large teeth can grind the terrible acacia thorns that can pierce even tires, but the camels are the only animals that can eat and digest them. Their air of superiority and great peace is in contrast with their true character, often irritable and cranky. There are hundreds of varieties of dromedaries, caravans of them high and massive, and those running or walking who are more slender. Our Desert Therapy instead belong to a specialized smaller type and are very docile and quiet. They are all females and often pregnant. Once we had the surprise of having with us along with two mothers and also their weaned puppies. It 'was an amusing sight to see them run and play along the way, like two dolls with hair. Needless to say that everyone has came to love them and some have said good-bye to them with a few tears when leaving. The dromedaries are a great resource for people living in the desert and the relationship created between man and animal is very close, often affectionate. Those with us in Egypt remember Solah, our Bedouin guide and handler of the dromedaries. Perhaps for this reason those who join us are so tame even with animals, treating them with respect and gentleness.