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The Camels: From Domestication to the Twenty-First Century

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Dromedary Camel Behavior and Welfare

Part of the book series: Animal Welfare ((AWNS,volume 24))

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Abstract

The domestication of large camelids is relatively recent in the history of mankind (5–6000 years) and was motivated primarily by their role in the transport of goods and humans, for war or trade. Indeed, milk and meat were probably only “by-products” of the carrying activities. The expansion of large camelids throughout history has brought them to new territories, on the margins of the Sahara, to other desert regions of the world, and recently in Western countries, i.e., in environments to which they are not necessarily adapted. Due to the changes in use and the intensification of animal husbandry, the welfare of these animals may become a concern, and welfare standards for this species are needed.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Domestication syndrome refers to a set of hereditary phenotypic, physiological, and behavioral traits that are common to domesticated animals, but not in their respective wild species variants.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. UMR SELMET, CIRAD-ES, Montpellier, France

    Bernard Faye

  2. Al-Farabi National Kazakh University, Almaty, Kazakhstan

    Bernard Faye

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  1. Bernard Faye
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Barbara Padalino

  2. Campus International de Baillarguet, CIRAD-ES, Montpellier, France

    Bernard Faye

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Faye, B. (2024). The Camels: From Domestication to the Twenty-First Century. In: Padalino, B., Faye, B. (eds) Dromedary Camel Behavior and Welfare. Animal Welfare, vol 24. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48600-5_1

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