LibGuides: Camels (extant/living species; Camelus spp.): Population & Conservation Status

Population Status

Some camels are common

FAO data – more than 22 million worldwide, per WRI EarthWatch database
- Majority are dromedaries (more than 15 million)
  - Most in Somalia (7 million) and Sudan (4 million)
  - Ethiopia and Kenya also have substantial numbers
- 700,000 feral animals in Australia are becoming a problem

Some camels are rare

Wild Bactrian camel
- About 950 individuals (Hare 2005)
- About 600 in China
- About 350 in Mongolia (a decrease from about 650 in 1985)

Wild Bactrian camel (C. ferus):

IUCN

Critically Endangered (2008 assessment) (Hare 2008)
Past assessments
- 2002, 2007: Critically Endangered
- 1996: Endangered
- 1986-1994: Vulnerable

CITES

Endangered Species Act

In Mongolia, 25 to 30 Wild Bactrian Camels are being killed annually when they migrate across the international border into China (subsistence/sport hunting by locals).
In China in the new Arjin Shan Lop Nur Nature Sanctuary, up to 20 Wild Bactrian Camels are killed annually by miners and hunters for subsistence use.
Wolves are their principal non-human predator.
Drought has reduced number of oases, making wolves more successful predators.
For 45 years, this area of the Gashun Gobi was the nuclear test site area of China.
- Wild Bactrian Camel survived and is apparently breeding naturally.
Other threats
- Highly toxic illegal mining
- Habitat used for gas pipe line
Domestic Bactrian camels and goats have also been introduced to the designated areas and hence compete for grazing and water.
- Species could be wiped out if their natural habitats in China and Mongolia are destroyed.
- Threat of hybridization
High infant mortality due to harsh conditions.

Fewer than 1,000 wild Bactrian camels remain. They are listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN.

Hare (2008)
Tulgat & Schaller (1992)
WRI (2004)