Camel Rearing in Urban and Rural Areas of Bikaner District

Abstract

In terms of numerical importance, the camel ranks only as a minor domestic animal. The world population of camels consists of about 17.5 million compared with 1270 million cattle, 1145 million sheep, 822 million pigs, 494 million goats, 138 million water buffaloes and 65 million horses. Yet, population statistics alone does not adequately reflect the ecological importance and historical significance of the camel for human cultural development. From an ecological perspective, camel husbandry is the only means of exploiting the arid zone that composes about one third of the land surface of the earth. Camel pastorals are the only substance strategy that makes it possible to utilize this vast area for food production in a sustainable way. Thriving on a diet of thorny, fibrous and often very salty plants, camels convert the scattered vegetation of the desert into highly nutritious food and other forms of energy. Camels are able to produce large qualities of milk, wheat meat, wool and dung thrown in as by products. The article provides an overview on economic background of camel owners in rural and urban areas as well as different communities of Bikaner district and it is concerned with the utilization pattern of camels, the quality of food and water and the perception of camel owners towards declining number of camel in different landscape and communities of Bikaner.