No image
🐄 Livestock
ANX-ANIMAL-0000008
Camel
Camelus dromedarius
The one-humped dromedary camel, an increasingly important dairy and pack animal in Kenya's arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) as pastoralist communities diversify away from cattle amid recurring drought.
- Species
- Camelid
- Family
- Camelidae
- Climate requirements
- Exceptionally well adapted to hot, arid, low-rainfall environments; can go days without water and tolerates heat far better than cattle, making it a key climate-resilience livestock species.
Husbandry
Care & Economics
- Husbandry guide
- Herded on extensive rangeland with access to browse (camels are primarily browsers, not grazers) and watered every few days rather than daily; calves are kept near camp for milking access. Manage trypanosomiasis (via tsetse control) and mange as the main health risks, and practice herd mobility to match seasonal forage/water availability.
- Economic importance
- An increasingly vital drought-resilience asset in northern Kenya, producing milk even through dry seasons when cattle fail, and providing a growing urban camel-milk market alongside its traditional pack/transport role.
Genetics
Breeds
No breeds recorded yet.
Animal health
Diseases
No diseases recorded yet.
Nutrition
Feeds
No feeds recorded yet.
Veterinary
Drugs & Medication
No drugs recorded yet.
Value chain