One hump and four legs on and off the highway

FOUR LEGS AND ONE HUMP ON AND OFF THE HIGHWAY

WHEN TRAVELLING IN RAJASTHAN it is not unusual to see single-humped camels (dromedaries). Often, they are hitched to wagons, both loaded and unloaded. They can haul loads of several times their body weight, which in adults can range from 400 to over 600 Kilograms. They can also be used to pull ploughs.

Unlike wheeled vehicles, camels are extremely agile on the roughest of terrains. They are often employed in off-road tasks. And they differ from other beasts of burden by being able to function well in high ambient temperatures. For example, they can survive without drinking for longer than other creatures. Also, their feet are adapted to be able to endure the extremely high temperatures that the ground can reach when it is heated by the sun. I first became aware of this when my PhD supervisor, Robert Harkness, described the research he had done on the connective tissue of the pads within camel’s feet. He had first become interested in this when he spent some time teaching at a university in Kuwait.

During our visit to Rajasthan and also on earlier visits to various parts of Gujarat, we have often spotted camels, both working and grazing. To someone like me, who grew up in Western Europe, seeing camels, which are not in a zoo, is an exciting experience.

Finally, I cannot resist repeating an old joke I learned when I was a child. In those days, there was an airline called British Overseas Airways Corporation, BOAC for short. Some witty friend of my parents told me that BOAC really stood for: “Better On A Camel”.