Sunday, June 15, 2008

Camels

Waiting for the tourists on the Mount of Olives. . .

Here they come. Four kids on one camel!

Down in the Negev desert, camels owned by Bedouin graze freely.


These are Dromedaries. The Bactrian camels in Asia have two humps.
A mnemonic to remember: letter D on its side is like one hump and B is two.
In the early 1900s Israel had 20,000 camels. Today their numbers are down to maybe 2,500.
 A very interesting article on the Jewish veterinarian who cares for the Bedouin camels just appeared in the Jerusalem Post. You can read why camels are disappearing by clicking here.
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Lots more animals can be found at the Camera-Critters blog every Sunday.

27 comments:

  1. You have the most fascinating posts. I can't wait to see every week.. sk

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  2. Dina: Now that's an animal we never see wondering around. Very nice photo.

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  3. a very interesting post - I seem to be hearing a lot about camels in various places these days.

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  4. I have always liked camels. They have the most pompous looks on their faces. Thank you for the D and B thing. I've always wondered which was which.

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  5. That Vet is a very interesting man, and so is your post. Thank you.

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  6. You never have the usual critters. fascinating resading again too.

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  7. That is SO cool! I agree with Sandy - you have absolutely fascinating posts!

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  8. Dina..I enjoyed the post and the article about camels. Now I learned something new today thanks to you.

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  9. Hi Dina - Thanks for nice comments on my blog. Archeology must be very interesting around Jerusalem. I have been very interested in the history around our Powell Lake cabin home. It feels like I am stepping back in time when I find an old cabin or a relic on the lake floor. -- Margy

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  10. Here via Tipper's blog. I love your photographs and I love Israel! My kids got to ride a camel at the county fair a few years ago, and loved it.

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  11. The camels are lovely. How wonderful jto see them out & about like that. It's a sad shame that the numbers are down to 2,500.

    Thank you for visiting my camera critters. I absolutely loved the starfish story you told. You are so right. You might not be able to save everything, but it makes a difference to the ones you do save.

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  12. What a sight! Camels! Looks like they would be fun to ride.

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  13. You know, Dina. I'm just not a big fan of riding that camel. I preferred the donkey when we were in Egypt. They're called Ship of the Desert for a reason. I felt like I was getting tossed about like a ship in a storm. The donkey on the other hand just had a mind of its own.

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  14. The article you linked to here was really interesting. So much about camels and culture and adventure.

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  15. A very interesting post and linked article.

    Camels were once imported into the American southwest by the army. It was hoped they would be better suited to its arid climate than are horses. I've read that this experiment failed because the camels' hoofs could not hold up to the rocky terrain since they are animals adapted to sandy deserts. However, upon viewing your photo, I see that the Negev is not a sandy desert. Perhaps the army imported the wrong camels. How different American Western movies would be had this experiment succeeded. It's difficult to imagine the cavalry charging into battle with John Wayne leading the charge riding a camel.

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  16. looks like the camel needs a weight limit. lol.

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  17. We have very few camels in America, now they're just in zoo. In the 1800's, some were imported but I don't think there are any herds left.

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  18. this is wacky - camels are definitely non-existent in my parts!

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  19. What a fun post! Camels always appear so wise and patient to me. A different world you live in. Thanks for the glimpse!

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  20. Camels are fascinating. I remember that when we were on our way from Indonesia to the Netherlands in 1938, we sailed through the Suez Channel. We stayed for a day in Caïro( I think) and I was 4 years old, so I was very impressed by the camels, especially when we started riding on them and when they got up: first with their hindlegs.

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  21. I did see Lawrence of Arabia, way back when it was first released. It must have impressed me greatly because I still remember parts. (I think I've seen at least bits and pieces of T. E. Lawrence's exploits since. My memory may be getting events out of sequence.)

    Peter O'Toole is a much better actor than John Wayne ever thought about being. Don't tell anyone I said that. I dare not risk being labeled un-American.

    I'm glad you enjoyed poking around Hodgepodgery. My other blog started out general interest but evolved into being mostly about nature. I brought Hodgepodgry out of hibernation so I'd have a place to post my un-natural photos.

    Thanks for your visits and comments.

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  22. Camels are so foreign and yet fascinating to me. I would love to see them out grazing, just like our horses do around here!

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  23. Great camel shots! I can't say I have ever seen one of these roaming around Pennsylvania :)

    I must return when I have more time, your blog is very interesting!
    Salty

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  24. I like camels. They have real character. The world would be a better place if people kept camels instead of dogs.

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  25. That is a really helpful mnemonic. I will have to remember that.

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