Dromedaries

elefante

elefante

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Odd question maybe, but where do you think dromedaries belong in a zoo? Since they only exist as a domesticated species do you think they should be in the domestic animal section? Or are they enough of an exotic they could go in with wild animals? I can't think of the last time I've seen them in zoos so I don't remember where I've seen them placed. Even though they're the domestic form I can see placing species like Bactrian camels, yaks, and water buffalo with wild animals, but dromedaries seem hard to place in a collection. What are your thoughts?
 
There are no wild dromedaries. They exist only as domesticated or feral. In the past it was debated whether they actually are a landrace of Bactrian camels due to the lack of a wild ancestor in which case there would not be two camel species and camels would not be native to the Sahara Arabian desert belt. But they are different from Bactrian camels and emerged round the Red Sea region. It actually took coexistence with humans as domesticates for dromedaries to conquer the deserts: though dromedaries were used in Roman Africa it was the arrival later of Arab strains that allowed the increase in trade in the Sahel.
 
London zoo keeps dromedaries just outside Tiger Temple near the bornean bearded pigs and domestic section.
 
London has Bactrian Camels, not Dromedaries, which are oddly rare in UK zoos.
 
animalszoos said:
Hm...maybe they did keep dromedaries. I'm pretty sure they did.
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Yes, those are all former holdings.

The current holdings listed on Zootierliste for the UK are:

UK/England:
Eynsford (Eagle Heights Wildlife Park)
Heythrop (Zoo)
Linstead (Oasis Camel Centre)
Warminster (Longleat Safari Park)
UK/Scotland:
Stirling (Blair Drummond Safari Park and Adventure Park)
 
I was at Eagle Heights last year and there were no dromedaries there any more. They had been down to a single individual for some time.

I'm not sure that Longleat still keep dromedaries either.

Joe Fossett still has a bunch of dromedaries and a trekking place down in the west country.
 
Maguari said:
Yes, those are all former holdings.

The current holdings listed on Zootierliste for the UK are:

UK/England:
Eynsford (Eagle Heights Wildlife Park)
Heythrop (Zoo)
Linstead (Oasis Camel Centre)
Warminster (Longleat Safari Park)
UK/Scotland:
Stirling (Blair Drummond Safari Park and Adventure Park)
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Although I'm not 100% sure, I can't remember seeing any dromedaries last time at was at Blair Drummond (Sept 2016). I note also that they're not on their website
 
animalszoos said:
London zoo keeps dromedaries just outside Tiger Temple near the bornean bearded pigs and domestic section.
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animalszoos said:
Hm...maybe they did keep dromedaries. I'm pretty sure they did]
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London Zoo never kept dromedaries in this area of the zoo but certainly had dromedaries in the past.

When the Cotton Terraces opened in the early 1960s, the Camel House (now the Pygmy Hippo House) held dromedaries, Bactrian camels, llama, alpaca, guanaco and vicuna.

And, prior to the Cotton Terraces, there were dromedaries in the old Deer & Cattle Sheds.
 
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Tim May said:
London Zoo never kept dromedaries in this area of the zoo but certainly had dromedaries in the past.

When the Cotton Terraces opened in the early 1960s, the Camel House (now the Pygmy Hippo House) held dromedaries, Bactrian camels, llama, alpaca, guanaco and vicuna.

And, prior to the Cotton Terraces, there were dromedaries in the old Deer & Cattle Sheds.
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Vicunas huh? I don't think these are in zoos in the USA.
 
elefante said:
Vicunas huh? I don't think these are in zoos in the USA.
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Southwick's Zoo has the only individuals currently, but an import of 6.6 from Berlin should arrive sometime soon (was delayed due to permits). I don't know how many zoos will be on the receiving, but some will go to the Beardsley Zoo.
 
Based on what I have seen in the last few years in southwest USA, it seems zoos use dromedaries mainly for rides (for a small fee). The only one remember seeing where they are a main exhibit animal (not used for rides) is Gladys Porter Zoo in Texas (housed in former bush elephant yard).

Some of the zoos in my region where they are used for rides: The Living Desert, Reid Park Zoo, Phoenix Zoo.
 
jayjds2 said:
Southwick's Zoo has the only individuals currently, but an import of 6.6 from Berlin should arrive sometime soon (was delayed due to permits). I don't know how many zoos will be on the receiving, but some will go to the Beardsley Zoo.
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That import will never reach the US due to the vicuñas having a history with a disease not present in the US. The animals originally collected by Berlin for export were distributed to various European zoos a while ago.
 
At Rio Safari Elche in Spain they had 2 Dromedries which were used for rides and a group in a mixed exhibit paddock
 
Back to the original question, I think the problem is most zoos don't have a domestics section, they have a farmyard section. Dromedaries are obviously unsuited to that so they get put somewhere else instead.
It is bizarre how uncommon they are in the UK, I've always wondered about that.
 
FunkyGibbon said:
Back to the original question, I think the problem is most zoos don't have a domestics section, they have a farmyard section. Dromedaries are obviously unsuited to that so they get put somewhere else instead.
It is bizarre how uncommon they are in the UK, I've always wondered about that.
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I suppose they wouldn't fit in a farmyard section. Tough animal to place for sure.
 
I've never had a problem with dromedaries in actual exhibits, nor Bactrians but I don't like " Pampas" exhibits with llamas as their wild counterparts are relatively easy to obtain.

As for where to put dromedaries then I suppose a mixed exhibit with emu and red kangaroo wouldn't be too bizarre.
 
And on a related note the last two places I saw them were WMSP and Longleat. When I was younger they popped up in lots of unusual places including various farm parks and Shire horse centres.
 
Brum said:
And on a related note the last two places I saw them were WMSP and Longleat. When I was younger they popped up in lots of unusual places including various farm parks and Shire horse centres.
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I believe the last Dromedaris at WMSP and Longleat were actually hybrids.
 
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