Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Camels and Camels Milk…But Were Too Afraid to Ask!

OK.

So maybe you haven’t been lying awake sleeplessly at night, wondering about camel’s milk and camels…

BUT, camels, as I have recently discovered, camels can be really sweet, fun animals, and their milk’s nutritional makeup is quite intriguing as well!

If you’re wondering where all this camel talk is coming from, let me tell you about my 4th grade Girl Scout troop’s adventure at a camel farm.

This past week, we took a trip to the Oasis Camel Dairy in Ramona, California.  Once we entered the gate, we were greeted by three friendly horses and one studly camel.  He was the only camel of the bunch we weren’t allowed to pet.  Apparently, he fancies himself quite a ladies man and takes a dislike to anyone other than female camels.

No matter…

You can’t see it in this photo, but the long globs of slobber hanging from his mouth were a bit of a turn-off…

At least for me.

BUT, we made friends with almost all the other farm animals and the fabulous and most gracious owners, Gil and Nancy.

Here’s the scoop on the animals at the farm…

Turkeys {These guys and gals are NOISY.  If you really want to see them in action, they will be racing this summer at the San Diego County Fair.}

Exotic Birds and Parrots {Nancy does a great bird show, and we got to see one of the birds do a fun talking and dancing routine.}…

Mules {So sweet}…

Sheep {Sweeties too, and specially bred to eat the weeds below the grapes at vineyards}…

Dogs! {Nothing exotic, just super friendly pups who endeared themselves to the girls just as much as the other more exotic animals.}

And, of course, the camels.

20 of them, including two babies!

Here’s a little FYI on camels:

• Camels only spit when they are uncared for.  THESE camels are definitely getting some good loving!  Not a single spitter in the group {but lots of kissers!}  What surprised me was how sweet and friendly they were. Clearly, they are well cared for and well loved by Gil and Nancy!
• Camels can live to be up to 35 years old.
• What do you think is in their hump? Water? Guess again…It’s fat!  So, if you see a camel with a small hump {or no hump at all}, you see a “skinny” camel.
• Camels store water in their bloodstream throughout their body and can go up to 2 weeks without drinking any water.
• An adult camel weighs around 1200 pounds and can carry half that weight on his/her back.

They are pretty interesting animals, I think!

The girls all got to take a ride on one of the camels.

They all said it was a blast and were surprised by the squishy hump!

All in all, it was a FABULOUS afternoon!

And although we didn’t get to taste any camel’s milk {it’s not approved for sale in the US yet}, we did learn some intriguing information about the nutritional makeup and potential health benefits of camel’s milk…

Camel’s Milk is:

• 2-3 times higher in Vitamin C than Cow’s milk.
• Being studied as a possible adjuvant therapy for Type 1 Diabetes.
• Suitable for people with lactose intolerance.
• 10 times higher in lactoferrin than cow’s milk and is being studied for its potential antibacterial and antiviral properties.
• Being used in Russia, Kazakhstan, and India for treating colitis, diabetes, and tuberculosis.

All intriguing stuff and I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more camel’s milk research.

For now, if you are interested in reading more about these potential health properties and benefits of camel’s milk, I recommend these articles and research studies for further reading:

• Camel Milk Magic, Myth or Marvel?
• Dubai Camel Milk Producers Hope to Export “Camelicious” Brand
• Camel Milk as an Adjuvant Therapy for the Treatment for Type 1 Diabetes