For generations, dromedary camels have been the unchallenged masters of Africa’s harshest arid landscapes, earning their nickname as the “ships of the desert” for their extraordinary ability to withstand scorching temperatures and severe drought. It is this legendary resilience that led 80% of the world’s one-humped camel population to settle in North Africa and the Horn of Africa, and that pushed countless livestock herders to switch from cattle and sheep to camels as climate conditions worsened across the region. But new research and on-the-ground accounts from herders and veterinarians make clear that even these iconic hardy animals are no match for the record-breaking extreme heat sweeping the continent – a rapidly growing threat that is pushing camels, and the communities that depend on them, into crisis.
Even camels can’t cope: Africa’s ships of the desert hit by rising temperatures
