The Desert of Lop

New Bactrian camel at Safari Park

2008-04-07T11:19:00.003-07:00

As spring arrives, so do new born baby Bactrian Camels....

Surprise addition at safari park
A baby camel, who was born without its keepers even knowing, has gone on public show near Stirling.

A baby camel, who was born without its keepers even knowing, has gone on public show near Stirling.

The 120lb, four-foot tall, furry camel is now big enough to be allowed to explore his home and be seen for the first time by visitors.

Keepers had not known his mother was pregnant until they found the newborn.

To read the full article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/tayside_and_central/7326547.stm

Bactrian Camels as Pets

2008-03-31T08:19:00.003-07:00

Most people enjoy the company of a cat or dog as a pet companion. But now new studies by camel owners have shown that perhaps a Bactrian Camel is a better bet as mans best Friend...

Gentle giants: Camels make great pets, owners say
By GUY KEELER
McClatchy Newspapers

"You could spend a lifetime looking for an animal companion as friendly as a dog, smart as a fox and strong as a horse. Or you could get yourself a camel.
That’s what Jennifer and Geoff Dean did three years ago — and onlookers have been raising their eyebrows ever since.

“People ask, ‘Why own a camel?’ ” says Geoff Dean, a high school math teacher. “And I say, ‘Why own a dog?’ ”
For the Deans, who live north of Sanger, Calif., owning a camel is as natural as grass and sunshine. To them, anyone who has to ask why camels are special hasn’t looked into the eyes of one of these enchanting creatures...."

To read the full article: http://www.kansascity.com/238/story/545594.html

Endangered Animals from the Desert

2007-12-18T09:24:00.000-08:00

Along with the Bactrian Camel many other unique species living in our deserts are becoming endangered. the Jeroba, the "Mickey Mouse of the desert" now joins the Bactrian camel on the endangered species list....

"IT WOULD not look out of place in a Disney cartoon or perhaps being chased through the desert by Wile E Coyote if ever the Road Runner needed a stand-in.
With its huge ears, big black eyes and kangaroo-like legs, way out of proportion to its mouse-sized body, it is little wonder that the nocturnal long-eared jerboa has been described as the "Mickey Mouse of the desert".

But the insect-eating rodent's fate is no laughing matter, as conservationists pointed out yesterday: it is one of ten species in grave danger of becoming extinct if nothing is done to help them."

To read the full article:http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/ViewArticle.aspx?articleid=3588837

Four New Baby Camels Born

2007-06-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

One hump or two? Well, eight actually...
Whipsnade unveils four baby camels
http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?sectionid=543&articleid=2884005

One hump or two? It's strictly two apiece for new baby camels who are finding their feet at Whipsnade Zoo.

Four baby camels were born at the zoo in April, and they are now getting to know the rest of the herd.

The two-humped Bactrian camel calves - three females and one male - are called Genghis, Georgia, Gypsy and Ginny.

Wild camel sponsors needed

2007-05-14T08:59:00.000-07:00

SPONSORSHIP: CAPTIVE WILD BACTRIAN CAMELS www.wildcamels.com
From their news letter-
"We now have pictures of the young camel calves on our updated Website. However, to continue to protect the captive wild Bactrian camels and manage the pasture areas and water, we must have our herdsman and his assistants there on site at all times to oversee the camels' welfare. During the winter and spring months it is necessary to buy hay for them. This is expensive to buy and also to transport to the site. Medicines are required for the females and their offspring during the first five years. As the number of camels increase each year, we have additional costs of identifying and fencing new areas for pasture; and the Project Director, Bilgee works continuously with the local communities and schools to ensure they understand our work.
The good news is the success of the Project so far, however this also means more pregnant females. As a result we urgently require at least five more sponsors. "

Also according to the newsletter- The ZSL launched a programme called EDGE in March to support wild mammals which are on the edge of extinction. If you want to visit the website click on www.wildcamels.com and on our website look for links to ZSL/EDGE. Under the EDGE criteria the wild Bactrian camel is listed as the eighth most critically endangered mammal in the world.

U.K. Scientists bring awareness to the need for preservation of Bactrian Camels and other endangered species

2007-02-05T10:51:00.000-08:00

As forests are diminished and global warming increases it seems that more and more of our world’s creatures our disappearing and nearing extinction. A team of British scientists seem to want to put a stop to this as they launch a new conservation project to help protect and create awareness for some of these disappearing animals. Near the top of the list of better known critically endangered animals that needs protection is the Bactrian Camel. With fewer than 1,000 left in the wild there is a dire need to raise awareness to the protection of the few that are left to ensure their future survival…

for more info on wild Bactrian camels visit www.wildcamels.com and also check out our book
Bradford and the Journey to the Desert of Lop and his quest to save the wild camels http://www.wildheartranch.com/ourBrands/ob_desertOfLop.htm

World: U.K. Scientists Work To Save 'Lesser-Known' Mammals
By Antoine Blua
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/01/98806241-0842-4BDF-A39C-C2AD6454EC76.html

January 30, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- British scientists have launched an ambitious conservation project that focuses on some of the world's rarest and most extraordinary mammals. The plan includes some animals traditionally overlooked by scientists, and will allow the public to track and donate to individual projects via a new website. Iran and Central Asia provide habitats for several species on the list.
The Zoological Society of London has compiled the list. It comprises 100 of what it calls Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species. These mammals were selected because of the degree of danger that they face, and because they have few relatives left alive in the wild -- making them some of the world's most genetically unique mammals. Ben Collen, a member of the EDGE team, says this makes their preservation particularly urgent. "These species are unique and irreplaceable," Collen told RFE/RL. "So if they become extinct, there will be nothing else like them on the planet. A lot of these species have very unique, very individual traits which add a lot to biodiversity and ecosystem function." Some Better-Known... The Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus), for instance, differs from all other mammals in the shape of its blood cells, which are oval instead of circular. There are fewer than 1,000 individuals surviving in the wilds of northwest China and Mongolia -- even. (There are more than 2 million "domesticated" Bactrian camels in Central Asia, but conservationists are careful to distinguish between wild animals in their natural habitat and domesticated animals.) The onager (Equus onager) is remarkably well adapted to semi-desert regions -- which are hot during the day and cool at night, with little rainfall. It's also the swiftest of all the equids family -- which includes horses, zebras, etc. -- and has been recorded running at speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour. There are an estimated 570 onagers in two protected areas of Iran. Some of the species on the list are better known, such as China's giant panda. ...And Lesser-Known Creatures But many have so far been overlooked -- either because they are in poorly explored regions, they are among species in which scientists have shown little interest, or their habits make them difficult to study. Such species include two other animals living in Iran: Setzer's mouse-tailed dormice (Myomimus setzeri) and the Iranian jerboa (Allactaga firouzi). The jerboa resembles a mouse, with long hind legs that allow it to jump up to three meters in a single bound. It is known from only a single, small population living on a mountain steppe in southern Iran. The desert dormouse (Selevinia betpakdalaensis) occurs to the west and north of Lake Balkhash in Kazakhstan. Unlike other dormice, it sheds the upper layers of its skin when it moults. The head of the Mammals Laboratory at the Kazakh Zoological Research Institute, Amanqul Bikenov, tells RFE/RL that little is known about the desert dormouse. "In the last 50 years, scientists have been able to catch [just] 40 of them," Bikenov says. "The particularities of this animal [are that] it lives in hiding [and] it is a nocturnal animal. Its biology hasn't been researched yet. For science, this animal is very important; researchers around the world are interested in it."Many of the species are the only representatives of groups that have otherwise died out. The saiga antelope -- known for its bulging eyes and a bulbous, tubular nose to filter out dust and warm [or] cold air before it reaches the animal's windpipe -- is the only surviving representative of its genus. Eleanor Milner-Gulland, a leading expert of the species, has argued for efforts to inform locals on the cultural and economic benefits of saigas. "They have this great cultural interest. They're a nomadic species [and] they are a symbol of the steppes," Milner-Gulland says. "There's that kind of link between people's heritage and this piece of wildlife. And then, on the...more practical side, the saiga was until 10 years ago a really valuable and productive part of the ecosystem. It produced meat, horn, [and] skins. If the population was large enough, that could start again. There could also be potential for tourism [and] trophy hunting. So the saiga could pay its way if it were allowed to recover as a component of a sustainable steppe that could go on to the future." The saiga inhabits open dry steppe grasslands and semi-arid deserts in Russia's Republic of Kalmykia, as well as Kazakhstan and Mongolia. Some herds migrate to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Over the last decade, its numbers have plummeted from more than 1 million to around 30,000. Sense Of Urgency EDGE team member Collen says the Persian mole (Talpa streeti) -- an animal that runs backward almost as freely as forward -- may already be gone, like some others on the list. "This is a species that is known from one individual, found in northwest Iran. We urgently need to survey this area to find out whether they still exist." All the EDGE species are threatened either by hunting or habitat destruction due to human activity. In close collaboration with local scientists and biodiversity groups, members of the EDGE team will propose conservation plans for each species on the list. Their goal is to have conservation strategies in place for all 100 species within five years. Organizers are also reaching out to the public for help. Donors are invited to sponsor a species, and track its conservation progress through blogs and discussion groups on the project's website.

wild camel protection - mining threat

2007-01-08T17:06:00.000-08:00

as reported - in Shanghai Daily
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=302169&type=National

Endangered camels under threat as miners encroach
2007-1-9

MINING, prospecting and road building in a nature reserve in northwest China are sharply shrinking the habitat of wild camels.

The camels could vanish from the region if they are not better protected, according to experts from the area.

A 10-day scientific survey found that the domain of the two-humped Bactrian camels has shrunk to a "very small" mountainous area in the Lop Nur State Wild Camel Nature Reserve, southeast of Turpan, in eastern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

"If the remaining habitat is not protected, the wild Bactrian camels may disappear in Xinjiang," said Yuan Lei, one of the seven-member team that conducted the survey last month.

Researchers saw only four wild Bactrian camels, three adults and a young one, said Yuan, who is also a senior engineer with the nature reserve.

Yuan blames mining and resource prospecting within the reserve for scaring the camels away and harming their habitat.

Iron, copper, zinc and lead mines have opened in the past couple of years in the nature reserve, and Yuan said he doesn't have enough power to stop them.

"The problem is how to coordinate resource development with environmental protection," said Yuan. "The reserve doesn't have a police force, so it's difficult to stop illegal mining and prospecting."

During the recent survey, Yuan handed out literature to miners and prospectors hoping to raise their awareness of how to protect the environment.

Yuan says most of the mining is taking place around the perimeter of the reserve, but some mines have opened in key protected areas. A 60-kilometer road has also been built in the reserve.

Yuan believes the camels have been pushed to the southwest of the 780,000-square-kilometer reserve.

The wild Bactrian camels live in both northwest China and Mongolia, where their numbers are estimated at 800.

Previous estimates in the Lop Nur Nature Reserve put their numbers at 400, but Yuan isn't sure if that many remain there now.

The wild camel has been labeled "critically endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

They are also on China's list of most protected wild animals.

more info

www.wildcamels.com

camel milk saves lives ... and is great in chocolate

2006-12-19T17:43:00.000-08:00

Nomads survive on camel milk for one month

article from Nigerian Tribune
http://www.tribune.com.ng/20122006/features.html

To read all about the health benefits thought to be found in camel milk as well as how it is being marketed in chocolate as well-
" people consider it a powerful tonic against many diseases. The Gulf Arabs believe it is an aphrodisiac. From the Western Sahara to Mongolia demand is booming for camel milk."

Bactrian camels from Winnipeg Zoo off to Calgary

2006-12-11T21:02:00.000-08:00

The Winnipeg Assiniboine Park Zoo's three female Bactrian Camels are being sent to the zoo at Innisfail, Alberta, where Kleaver, their male Bactrian camel is anxiously awaiting his harem . The hope is to mate and reproduce the wild bactrian camels in captivity

http://winnipegsun.com/News/Winnipeg/2006/12/11/2736877.html

From the article "The Zoo has maintained Bactrian Camels since 1961, during which time two other males, Buddy and Ringo, sired 18 offspring. The Assiniboine Park Zoo is the only zoo in North America, and one of the few in the world, to display all six members of the camel family. Well-adapted to the cold, all six species are on display everyday throughout the winter. "

for more info on the critically endangered wild Bactrian camel visit
www.wildcamels.com

Holiday gift ideas - all about camels

2006-11-24T07:46:00.000-08:00

our book at amazon -http://www.amazon.com/Bradford-Journey-Desert-Dawn-Zant/dp/0976176823
Bradford and the Journey to the Desert of Lop [BOX CALENDAR] (Hardcover)
by Dawn Van Zant, Alexander Levitas (Illustrator) "When the Sandman comes to visit you tonight, you need to listen closely as you close your eyes and drift off to sleep..." (more)
Key Phrases: wild camels, Desert of Lop, Lop Nor
(4 customer reviews)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
List Price: $19.99
Price: $13.59 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $6.40 (32%)

Availability: In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Only 3 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Another great idea- adopt or sponsor a wild camel at www.wildcamels.com
and save a wild bactrian camel and help continue their valuable research and help save this animal from extinction

our plush bactrian camels - Judy - now go to the Zoos to educate kids

2006-11-09T10:58:00.000-08:00

Currently our Bradford and the Journey to the Desert of Lop books and camels are available at the gift stores at the Calgary Zoo and the Alaska Zoo - since both zoos feature real Bactrian camels on exhibit

to see a Bactrian camel up close and personal here in North America - visit one of these zoos and don't forget to learn more at the www.wildcamels.com

News of Bradford and the Journey to the desert of lop makes it to China

2006-11-06T20:09:00.000-08:00

China Biz website picked up news on the tale of Bradford and the Journey to the desert of Lop

It brings it one step closer to the people of the desert of Lop to know their story is being told

http://www.cbiz.cn/release/showrelease.asp?id=3377

Bradford and the Journey to the Desert of Lop Brand is the Magical Tale of a Boy's Journey into China's Gobi Desert

- www.HorseToys.com, an online children’s retailer for plush toys and books, is pleased to introduce its online selection of children's toys and books in a translated version of the site in Simplified Chinese at http://www.horsetoys.com/CN/cn_default.htm. As online toy and book sales rise, offering the site in multiple languages increases the consumer base for Horsetoys. The brand of toys and books "Bradford and the Journey to the Desert of Lop" is an original heartfelt line about a young boy’s journey into China's Gobi Desert to save the last wild camels on earth. On his magical journey into the vast Gobi, he encounters lost treasures, fossils, desert nomads and discovers the Bactrian camels of the Desert of Lop that may also hold a cure for cancer and other diseases.

Reviews

2006-08-24T23:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.rebeccasreads.com/reviews/03chi/03vand56.html
Bradford & the Journey to the Desert of Lop
Dawn Van Zant
(Reviewer - Rebecca Brown)
2005 Wild Heart Ranch Inc.
ISBN: 0976176823

Cancer patient Brad & the Sandman take a magical trek to discover the secrets of the heart.

Dedicated to nine year old Bradford Lawless, a true warrior at heart & his battle with cancer (Ewing's Sarcoma) this tale combines elements of his real life woven into a magical journey of hope.

“When the Sandman comes to visit you tonight, you need to listen closely as you close your eyes & drift off to sleep. It is a tale of magic that lives in the desert, of buried ancient treasures, vanishing wild camels, forgotten people & the courage of a small unlikely warrior destined to be their guardian.”

Come meet a boy as he does battle with cancer & dreams of what his purpose in life is.

Come away with him, when the Sandman visits, to the ‘ends of the Earth’ where once sea covered the land & dinosaurs lived, where eagles fly & herds of camels & asses (donkeys) roam the vast orange dunes, & people are far & few between.

Come listen to the stories the grains of sand have to tell, of history & kings, treasures & mysteries, as Bradford searches for his purpose.

Bradford and the Journey to the Desert of Lop is a lyrical, lively bedtime tale, filled with vivid images & magical insights.

The bold & bright illustrations are by Alexander Levitas, who lives on a kibbutz in Israel & knows something of deserts.

In researching for this book Dawn Van Zant learnt about the last of the true wild Bactrian camels - Camelus bactianus ferus - from John Hare, founder of the Wild Camel Protection Foundation (www.wildcamels.com) with Jane Goodall as its patron. Their sole aim is to protect these endangered animals & their fragile habitat in the Gobi & Gashun Gobi deserts of Northwest China & Southwest Mongolia in the hopes that their immune system may hold answers to research in arresting diabetes & cancer.

Do contact WildHeartRanch.com for a plush & cuddly Bactrian camel Judy to hug while reading this tale of magic & hope. Wild Heart Ranch is a publishing, entertainment & toy company which creates non-violent toys & products based on original ideas, stories & characters that offer light & magic to children's lives.

More from Dawn Van Zant:
No More Night Mares: A Dream of Freedom
I Sea Horses: From Sky to Sea
(02/26/06)

Rebecca

Zoroaster the prophet , named " Old camels "

2006-08-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

Zoroaster was an ancient prophet named based on the
compound in the Avestan language, of zarəta- "old" and uštra "camel", translating to "having old camels, the one who owns old camels". The first part of the name has also been translated as "yellow" or "golden", from the Avestan zaray, (Modern Persian zærd) giving the meaning "[having] yellow camels".

A more romantic, but inaccurate, translation of the name, in the past has been "[bringer of the] golden dawn", based on the mistaken assumption that the second part of the name is a variant of the Vedic word Ushas meaning "dawn".

This last translation seems to have derived from a desire to give a more fitting meaning to the prophet's name than "owner of feeble camels".

His prophecy and relgion cannot be accurately dated and range from 1400 BC to 485 BC
His background is said to be Bactrian - as the bactrian camels are named after.

His philosophy- Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds.

There is only one path and that is the path of Truth.

Do the right thing because it is the right thing to do, and then all beneficial rewards will come to you

The spiritual power and hope of the bactrian camel

2006-08-11T21:42:00.000-07:00

Doing some research tonight on bactrian camels, I found this project and under the current circumstances of war in the Middle East and recent terrorism threats - this was heartwarming and welcome.
Learning about the wild camels has been a very spiritual journey for me and also for others -

Please read about hope for peace and nomadic life with camels-
The Silk Road Project
This project promotes Culture, Education, Bio diversity, Sustainability and Integrity

http://gittaohan.tripod.com/id2.html

Gittaohan is a collaboration Project group comprising people of nine nations and six religions that promotes an international message of peace and sensibility. We research and share this message on multiple levels: # The truthful way of Nomadic Cultures. # The respectful and ecological use of animals, training with non-violent techniques. # The connection between human and animal for human psychological, health and educational benefits. # The value of travel for the correct exchange and understanding of culture for a global evaluation of humanism. # Educating and sharing with children, who will put into practice this global message of unity and diversity. # Protection and Husbandry programs for the Bactrian camel. These are issue we in the Gittaohan project feel very strongly about and we are constantly researching to open relations with other people with compassion, knowledge and interest to build the consciousness of this way of life. We invite all to share the experience with our beautiful animals and hope to provide a network to help ensure this style of life remains a possibility We travel the old Silk Road, following the steps of all the courageous caravans and famous philosophers, educators, researchers and prophets before us. Gittaohan travels to schools, organisations and festivals and receives hundreds of people in their camp everyday. For twenty years Gittaohan has made two full lengths of the Silk Road from Europe to Asia. We have deep knowledge of the cultural reality and traditions of the Silk Road and we hope to share the knowledge we have. All cultures, classes and societies are welcome to contribute to the message for an alternative and truthful solution

Judy and the Chimps

2006-06-19T14:24:00.000-07:00

I recenlty read about a non profit dedicated to giving lab chimpanzees a better life . After reading that several of them were afraid to go to sleep at night , I contacted them and we are sending them some of our favorite bedtime plush toys- the cuddly plush" Judy" wild bactrian camel from our book - Bradford and the Journey to the desert of Lop.

To learn more about Save the Chimps- visit- http://www.savethechimps.org/about.asp
and see why were compelled to reach out

Gobi- Taklimakan Ancient lost city

2006-05-22T11:25:00.000-07:00

Ancient city reveals life in NW China desert 2,200 years ago

Chinese and French archaeologists claim to have discovered the ruins of an ancient city which disappeared in the desert in Northwest China more than 2,200 years ago.

The ancient city, shaped like a peach, is located in the center of the Taklimakan Desert, the second largest shifting desert in the world, covering a total area of 337,600 square kilometers, in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
full story :
">http://english.people.com.cn/200605/22/eng20060522_267664.html">

I would like a camel milk chocolate please

2006-04-20T11:11:00.000-07:00

camel milk- even a new kind of camel milk chocolate could be on its way-
Read more :

camel milk: Surmounting a few production humps
Thursday, 20 April 2006,
Press Release: United Nations
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0604/S00337.htm

By surmounting a few production humps, camel milk could bring in billions – UN
Developing camel dairy products such as milk can not only provide more food to people in arid and semi-arid areas but also give nomadic herders a rich source of income, with a $10 billion world market entirely within the realm of possibility, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

“The potential is massive. Milk is money,” FAO’s Dairy and Meat expert Anthony Bennett said in a review of camel milk potential, noting that the agency is hoping donors and investors will come forward to develop the sector not only at the local level but helping it move into lucrative markets in the Middle East and the West.

“No one’s suggesting intensive camel dairy farming, but just with improved feed, husbandry and veterinary care daily yields could rise to 20 litres,” he added, noting that at present production is a low-tech business with a meagre five litres a day considered a decent yield.

Since fresh camel milk fetches roughly $1 a litre on African markets, that would mean serious money for nomad herders who now have few other sources of revenue.

From the Western Sahara to Mongolia demand is booming for camel milk, but there just isn’t enough to go round. State-of-the art camel rearing is rudimentary, and much of the 5.4 million tonnes of milk currently produced every year by the world population of some 20 million camels is guzzled by young camels themselves.

To devotees, camel milk is pure nectar. While slightly saltier than cows’ milk, it is three times as rich in Vitamin C as its bovine equivalent. But tapping the market involves surmounting a series of humps in production, manufacturing and marketing.

One problem lies in the milk itself, which has so far not proved to be compatible with the UHT (Ultra High Temperature) treatment needed to make it long-lasting. But the main challenge stems from the fact that the producers involved are, overwhelmingly, nomads, a situation similar to a tomato cannery depending on suppliers who regularly disappear, taking their tomatoes with them.

Another problem is that nomad camel herders are often reluctant to sell their spare milk, which tradition reserves for honoured guests and the poor. It has been noted, however, that such reluctance can be dispelled by the offer of a good price.

Jumping on the camel train, Vienna-based chocolatier Johann Georg Hochleitner intends to launch this autumn a low-fat, camel milk chocolate with funding from the Abu Dhabi royal family, making it in Austria from powdered milk produced at Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates, then shipping 50 tons back to the Gulf each month.

“It sounds crazy but it’s a huge project. There’s a potential market of 200 million in the Arab world,” Mr. Hochleitner says.

Baby bactrian camel born in Wales

2006-04-14T21:16:00.000-07:00

Colwyn Bay Welsh Mountain Zoo is the home to new baby camel "Scrummy" , the first bactrian camel born in Wales
http://icnorthwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/regionalnews/tm_objectid=16905899&method=full&siteid=50142&headline=scrummy-s-a-real-mummy-s-girl-name_page.html#story_continue

Scrummy's a real mummy's girl Apr 5 2006

By David Powell, Daily Post

BABY camel Scrummy makes her first public appearance at Colwyn Bay Welsh Mountain Zoo yesterday.

Scrummy became the first Bactrian camel to be born in Wales when proud mum Flanka gave birth on February 16.

Bactrian camels are highly endangered with only 1,000 remaining in the wild, and the zoo is part of a carefully controlled international captive species breeding programme.

Mum Flanka and dad Lock - named in the aftermath of the Rugby World Cup - are enjoying the company of their lively new offspring who, while cute and cuddly now, will grow to be

North Wales

Scrummy's a real mummy's girl Apr 5 2006

By David Powell, Daily Post

BABY camel Scrummy makes her first public appearance at Colwyn Bay Welsh Mountain Zoo yesterday.

Scrummy became the first Bactrian camel to be born in Wales when proud mum Flanka gave birth on February 16.

Bactrian camels are highly endangered with only 1,000 remaining in the wild, and the zoo is part of a carefully controlled international captive species breeding programme.

Mum Flanka and dad Lock - named in the aftermath of the Rugby World Cup - are enjoying the company of their lively new offspring who, while cute and cuddly now, will grow to be 2.4m (seven feet) tall and will weigh three quarters of a tonne.

Zoo director Nick Jackson said: "It is wonderful that we now have a genuine Welsh baby for our visitors to admire.

"Camels are big, beautiful and delightfully smelly creatures. They grab respect and admiration from children and adults."

Bactrian camels are the two-humped variety and are found in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia and in the Gashun Gobi in China.

They featured in the BBC's Planet Earth documentary on Sunday, when viewers watched a dramatic chase across a desert to film the timid creatures.

They are recognised by the International Union for Conservation and Nature (IUCN) as highly endangered.

for info on saving wild bactrian camels visit: www.wildcamels.com

Illegal miners threaten wild camel's survival

2006-01-17T18:34:00.000-08:00

Illegal miners threaten wild camel's survival
From Jane Macartney in Beijing

ON AN expedition in China’s remote Lop Nur desert six years ago the British explorer and camel conservationist John Hare stumbled across a valley whose rare argali sheep and endangered wild Tibetan asses had never seen man.
Returning late last year to the Kum Su spring, Mr Hare found a valley of death. Sheep skeletons lay on the ground and no living animal was to be seen. Gold-miners had found the spring and had used its water for the processing of rock with potassium cyanide to extract the precious metal. They had shot the sheep for food and left behind 74 opened four-gallon cyanide drums. Mr Hare, founder of the Wild Camel Protection Foundation, said: “You can imagine my feelings — to go into a naive animal population is so rare on this planet and to go back and to find the whole thing devastated.”

The spring lies in hills at the foot of the Arjin escarpment, in the foothills of Tibet within the Lop Nur Wild Camel National Nature Reserve that covers 65,000 sq km (25,000 sq miles) of mostly inhospitable desert in far western China. For decades this was a nuclear testing ground. Mr Hare said: “If this is not checked in the Arjin and Kunlun mountains it will be lethal to all wildlife.” It was another survey of the wild Bactrian camel, the last in the world, that had taken the explorer to the Kum Su spring. In the spring in 1999 he saw a wild camel waddle away into the desert at his approach. On his visit last year, he saw none.

Nevertheless, he believes that 650 of the double-humped camels — on the critically endangered list of the World Conservation Union since 2002 — still roam in Lop Nur. Aerial surveys to assess the numbers are impossible since the shy animals make their home in what remains a military zone. Threats to the survival of the dwindling herds come not only from the miners, but from hunters and wolves. There were 3,000 wild camels in 1980-81 but it is now outnumbered by the endangered panda, estimated at 1,000 still in the wild.

more info - http://www.wildheartranch.com/ourBrands/ob_desertOfLop.htm
or www.wildcamels.com

Bradford and the Journey to the Desert of Lop

2005-12-30T18:42:00.000-08:00

Bradford and the Journey to the Desert of Lop

Meet "Judy", a plush, wild Bactrian camel, from the story "Bradford and the Desert of Lop". Branded with a gold moon and star, this soft, cuddly nighttime companion is sure to send children on a magical, sleepy journey with the Sandman. This 14" soft plush toy includes a neck tag and web site info on The Wild Camel Protection Foundation, a United Kingdom registered charity, with Jane Goodall as its patron. click here

The new line of children's non violent toys and books produced by Wild Heart Ranch empowers children with cancer and brings awareness to the endangered wild Bactrian camel. The wild camels living in the far away Gobi Desert may offer a possible cure for illness based on preliminary research. The book teaches us that, "One small boy with cancer can change the world if you listen."

read more at http://www.wildheartranch.com/ourBrands/ob_desertOfLop.htm
the book at Barnes and Noble :

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=oI0FVKoCnw&isbn=0976176823&itm=3

Nuclear Testing - Desert of Lop

2005-12-26T18:29:00.000-08:00

The area , once closed off was the home of 45 tests - 23 atmospheric and 22 underground all conducted at Lop Nur Nuclear Weapons Test Base in Malan Xinjiang

Xinjiang is home to several Muslim Turkic groups including the Uighurs and the Kazakhs . Other minority ethnic groups include Hui Chinese the Kirghiz the Mongols the Russians the Xibes the Tajik the Uzbek the Tatars and the Manchus .

Wild Camels

2005-12-26T18:25:00.001-08:00

The wild Bactrian camel, the remarkable ancestor of all domestic camels lives in three separated habitats in China and one in Mongolia. The wild Bactrian camel has been listed bu the IUCN in 2002 as critically endangered after years of pressure from the Wild Camel Protection Foundation. There are approximately 600 surviving in China and 350 in Mongolia making them rarer and more endangered than the giant panda. Their numbers are decreasing each year. The majority of these shy animals live in the parched Gashun Gobi (Lop Nur) desert in the south eastern area of the Mongolian. The wild Bactrian camel is a migrating species and moves across the Chinese Mongolian border.

learn more at www.wildcamels.com

New Highway for Desert in China - Silk Road Revisited

2005-12-26T18:25:00.000-08:00

Silk Road ...

Xinjiang is home to the famous Taklimikan and Lop Nor deserts. It's also home to one-fifth of China's land area. Separating it from the Tibetan Plateau to the south are the soaring Altun and Kunlun mountains. To its west are Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan; to the north, Russia; and to the east, Mongolia and the rest of China.

At a cost of 0.8 billion yuan ( about 100 million US dollars), the Chinese Ministry of Communications is building China's longest domestic highway across the Taklimakan desert in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to People's Liberation Army Daily as announced in June of 2005
The "Aral to Hotan desert road" will be 424 kilometers in length. It will start at the city of Aral and end at the Hotan prefecture in the county of Lop.

The original route of the Silk Road , across the Lop Nor Desert and skirting the southern edge of the Taklimikan Desert , was abandoned in favour of a northern route due to the peril involved in crossing the Lop Nor.