CAMELS CAN SMELL TOO
Written: Dec 21 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: easy on water
Cons: none
The Bottom Line: the original work horses
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| SMITHSWOODSIDE's Full Review: Australia |
I am not particularly fond of anything that needs four legs to stand up. Oh, except maybe a mouse because they feed cats, which in turn feed dogs making an easier target. Because of the four-leg bit, I love Kangaroos and some humans are okay too.
But I have to tell you - something rather unfortunate happened a few billion years ago when the Creator was making the animals. I suspect his Son had turned too much water into wine but whatever happened it saddled us with what was meant to be a species of horse - but, oh dear, what a mess. Of course I am referring to the thing we call a Camel. The poor Creator realised what a hash he had made of it so he tried again - and it was worse! So now we have two types of Camel, the Dromedary and the Bactrian. As the names so clearly suggest one has one breast and the other two, but in both cases they are on their backs.
Now way back in eighteen forty the early settlers of Australia, and especially the explorers thought we should have camels for exploring the Outback. They wanted the double breaster, but the women put their foot down fearing an ulterior motive. As usual women always win so a single breaster was brought to Adelaide that year. Nobody wanted to mate with it, so they brought out some more of both sexes and by eighteen sixty they were arriving in the hundreds. Now I don't know anything about horses, but I have often read "where you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink". This must have been the real reason because you can't stop a camel heading for water and it drinks everytime.
Now camels, unlike horses, can go for days without food or water. Now they do this by drinking until there breast, sometimes called a hump, is full. Now as you would expect it is actually a mound of fatty tissue. This was a major advantage over the horse, but there is a down side. Without being crude in any way, if a human goes for days without a shower or at least a wash they get pretty smelly. And we all know the smelliest part. Now with horses they had to stop at every waterhole and while the horse was drinking they could give a little attention where it was due. But with a camel they would go for days until the camel could stand the smell no more and buck them off!
But alas, it was worse than that but the early explorers soon found a way around it. Don't forget we are taking about riding a smelly stinking rotten thing in hundred and twenty plus heat for several days. Now if the camel had had a bit much to drink its breast would weep fatty wet fluid right on the last spot you wanted it, so you would get bucked off sooner. But this was soon corrected. When a camel is drinking just place the palm of your hand of top of its breast with your fingers together. Your fingers will slowly part as the breast fills and when they get about half way apart pull the camels head out of the water and ride away quickly- oh, you can let go of the breast please. Now you have a breast between your legs that doesn't leak, and who could ask for more than that.
Now on a flippant note, camels took to Australia like ducks to water. It is no exaggeration to say they opened up Australia much faster and more efficiently than any horse could. The explorer Giles was the first to give them a severe road test. The first time he took them out he travelled two hundred and twenty miles in eight days and gave the camels no water. This didn't seem to cause them any concern so he then went three hundred and twenty five miles in seventeen days, giving each camel one bucket of water on day twelve only. I am not too sure whether he should have been shot or not, but the camels didn't seem at all concerned.
About twelve thousand were bought here between eighteen sixty and nineteen hundred and seven. Only about twenty were two breasters. Thousands of Afghans came with them. Apart from the number of breasts there is very little difference between the two types. They both live around forty years and apart from that the only real difference is the double breaster has shaggy hair instead of short and the two breaster is slightly heavier.
In the centre of the continent big teams of seventy camels with four Afghan camel drivers would carry up to twenty tons between them. Each camel, depending on it's size, would carry about eight to thirteen hundred pounds. They helped build the Overland Telegraph and ferried supplies and goods to and from the huge sheep and cattle stations. They even pulled scoops and ploughs and really were the first road trains when in a group and singularly the first Toyota LandCruisers, both the modern workhorses of the Outback. That is in addition to light aircraft and helicopters.
The Camels were left to their own devices until the nineteen eighties. As a rough estimate, over two hundred thousand roam the Outback. They are perfectly at home in this environment and have the uncanny ability to change their body temperature by as much as 6 C, around 15 degrees F thereby keeping cooler and in winter they can store heat received during the day. They have a unique digestive system that enables them to eat, and gain benefit from, just about anything. They even have two eyelids to help keep the dust out of their eyes.
Today they are a great tourist attraction with over fifty camel farms. On many beaches you can ride them which is preferable to riding a shark. In Alice Springs Camel racing is held quite regularly and is pretty popular. It is funny how times change. Australia today is the only place on earth with wild camels - no not angry, just not tame. We even export then to Arabia where they are apparently in short supply.
Tourists can partake in camel safari's, even for as long as several days or by arrangement even longer.
Some people eat camel meat and actually make out to enjoy it. I had it once and unfortunately I couldn't get those bulbous eyes and yellow teeth out of my mind. It was therefore quite a challenge to swallow a small piece and have it not re present itself to all and sundry. It has a peculiar taste, like steak that's gone off in the sun but that is only to me. Many people I know get all exited at the prospect of camel burgers or just plain camel meat.
It is one of those things you just have to try I guess, like all the other foreign muck on offer. If you are the adventurous type with cast iron stomach you would probably enjoy it - if not I advise you to run!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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SMITHSWOODSIDE
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Member: Peter Smith
Location: South Australia
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