Dubai: First, a fact that will astonish you. There is not a single stray camel in the UAE. Statistics from the Central Veterinary Institute (CVI), Dubai, reveal that currently there are 300,000 dromedary camels in the UAE and every single one belongs to someone and is registered. All of them are racing camels. There is no stray camel. Of these, at least 50 per cent are of breeding stock and can produce race camels.
For centuries, the camel has been a loyal and steadfast friend to the Emiratis, serving them in myriad useful ways. It was their invaluable travelling companion, from oasis to oasis. It nourished them with its milk, considered a health elixir. Its meat provided food and sustenance which was scarce in the desert. Its urine is considered a medicinal decoction used to heal open sores and soothe aching joints. Its hair was used to weave tent trimmings and rugs and its skin used as water storing duffels and to make tents. Besides the aspects of utility, the people of the desert forged an indelible emotional bond with this intelligent animal that has survived through thousands of years. Even today, despite urbanisation and modernisation, the camel holds a special place in the heart of every Emirati and continues to be a symbol of their cultural heritage.
To understand first-hand the love an Emirati feels for the camel, we met Abdul Aziz Al Marzouqi, the manager of the Dubai Arabian Stud Horse farm in Al Marmum. Al Marzouqi lives in the city and has embraced the urban lifestyle. But in his heart he is a die-hard camel lover who makes it a point to visit his camel camp every day in Al Aweer where he has 22 camels.
“We can never quit our roots. I have an emotional connection with the animal,” says Al Marzouqi. “The love for the camels courses like blood in my veins. I feel true peace and calm only when I take off from work and be with my animals which I try to do every day. I spend hours feeding them, tending to them and it is therapeutic,” he says.
Al Marzouqi feels modern lifestyle has created two kinds of people — those who love everything urban and can’t live without modern trappings and those who are basically in love with the countryside. “I belong to the latter kind,” he says. “In the past, when the Bedouin travelled from place to place in camel caravans, all their animals that included salukis, sheep, falcons, even horses, were tied to the caravan. On these long journeys, these animals were fed camel milk to develop endurance and, therefore, these desert animals also share a kinship with each other,” he explains.
Al Marzouqi’s 22 camels are early risers. The keeper at Al Aweer camp releases them at the crack of dawn to graze in the desert and enjoy their natural habitat. “Camels love to feed on desert shrubs such as the markh, the remraam, the harm and the wild grasses. If possible, we also feed them leaves and branches of ghaf trees,” says Al Marzouqi.
The camels return to base by 8am and are again fed by the keeper. “It is usually a combination of hay and dry alfalfa. These days, a lot of hay varieties such as Timothy and Bermuda are imported from the US. We mix proteins, molasses and even oats with these to feed our camels.”
Feeding times for the camels is once in the morning and once at sundown.
At least once a week, Al Marzouqi gives his camels a special treat of fresh green alfalfa which he carries in huge bunches in his four-wheel drive.
We witness his love for his wards at his camel farm. Barefoot, he calls out to each of them and they respond and come ambling to him, grunting happily to eat the feed. “Camels are big and difficult to manage and at times can get aggressive. But if you are gentle and kind to them, they never forget their owner or keeper,” says Al Marzouqi. “They are intelligent and great animals who pay you back emotionally and financially,” he says.
Al Marzouqi is happy with his emotional returns as he is not really very keen to race all his camels. “People who are very keen on racing only, cross leaner kinds of camels in the hope of getting superior types of racing camels.”
But in the eagerness to produce racing camels, Al Marzouqi believes the milk-giving camels types are being harmed and diminished. “Milk-giving camels are slightly plumper and larger,” he explains.
A few camels from his brood are being trained to race and at least four of his female camels were pregnant at the time of our visit. Al Marzouqi can hardly wait for the calves to be born.
On the aspect of keeping his camels healthy, at least once a month, the camels get an anti-tick spray to keep them tick-free. Al Marzouqi believes in traditional Bedouin cures for his camels and his wards respond better to them, he says. “Treatments such a hot-rod branding in a diseased area gives better results. Recently, one of my female camels was bitten by a snake in the desert. She did not respond to allopathic medicines but with the hot rod treatment, she survived the bite and is doing much better,” he says. He also uses a mixture of turmeric and olive oil to rub on their joints to relieve joint pain.
Al Marzouqi believes that camel milk is the healthiest available variety in the world. “It has zero cholesterol and is recommended for diabetics because of its high nutritional value.” And more than its milk, it is camel urine which has great medicinal value, says Al Marzouqi. “Traditionally, from the days of our Prophet, camel urine has been used to cure many diseases.”
For all city-bred Emiratis who have moved some distance away from their roots (“people are lost in their urban routines”), Al Marzouqi has this advice: “If they truly want to be closer to their roots, they must spend time in the desert, tend to camels and watch the harmony with which camels, horses and sheep live here. I derive a lot of peace coming to the camel camp and going to my farm in Marmum.”
