Photos: Camel herding in Western Sahara a passion with pedigree

In the Oued Eddahab desert in Western Sahara, Habiboullah Dlimi raises dairy and racing camels just like his ancestors used to - but with a little help from modern technology.

Dlimi comes from a long line of desert dwellers from the Ouled Dlimi tribe.

When camels "feed on wild plants and walk all day, the milk is much better," said the 59-year-old herder, rhapsodising about the benefits of the nutrient-rich drink, known as the "source of life" for nomads.

His animals roam free in the desert and are milked as camels always have been, by hand, at dawn and dusk.

But Dlimi no longer lives with his flock.

He lives in town with his family. His camels are watched over by hired herders and Dlimi follows GPS coordinates across the desert in a 4X4 vehicle to reach them.

A camel herder provides his animals with water, in the desert near Dakhla in Morocco-administered Western Sahara.

He prefers to speak of the gentleness and friendliness of the animals he knows like his own children.

"Camels can endure everything: sun, wind, sand and lack of water, and if they could talk, you'd easily hear how intelligent they are," he said.

A camel calf is seen among a herd in the desert near Dakhla in Morocco-administered Western Sahara.

Camels are silhouetted at dusk in the desert near Dakhla in Morocco-administered Western Sahara.

A camel cow and its calf are seen in the desert near Dakhla in Morocco-administered Western Sahara.

A camel herder warms up next to a fire in the desert near Dakhla in Morocco-administered Western Sahara.

Saharawi owner of a camel herd Habiboullah Dlimi (R) is silhouetted with some of his animals at dusk in the desert near Dakhla in Morocco-administered Western Sahara. In the Oued Eddahab desert in Western Sahara.