Ethiopia has agro-ecological zones that allowed the existence of many livestock species and created a suitable environment for livestock production.
Arid lowlands of Eastern Africa namely, Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti, are mainly known for camel rearing. Drier areas of the country like Afar, Ethiopian Somali and the eastern and southern parts of Oromia region contain the majority of the camels.
According to Farah et al. (2004), Ethiopia’s camels’ herd has the third rank in the world after Somalia and Sudan. Camel is one of the most traded livestock across borderlands of Ethiopia besides cattle, goats and sheep.
Males weigh 400 to 650 kg (900 to 1,400 pounds), and females are about 10 percent smaller. Colour is usually light brown but can be grayish. Domesticated Bactrian camels are darker, stockier, and woollier than the wild form. Heavy eyelashes protect the eyes from blowing sand, and the nostrils can be squeezed shut. The dromedary has horny pads on the chest and knees that protect it from searing desert sand when it lies down, but the Bactrian camel lacks these callosities. Camels are generally docile, but they will bite or kick when annoyed. When excited, camels huff so sharply that spit is incidentally expelled.
Camels have also adapted to desert conditions by being able to endure protein deficiency and eat items other livestock avoid, such as thorns, dry leaves, and saltbush. When food is plentiful, camels “overeat,” storing fat in one area on the back and forming a hump. When the fat is depleted, the hump sags to the side or disappears. Storing fat in one place also increases the body’s ability to dissipate heat everywhere else.
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