Camels are not necessarily connected to Europe. They had a long tradition of the old continent before they rarely became in the Middle Ages. In the meantime, camel breeding experiences a new revival through tourism and demand for camel milk.
A team of researchers with Austrian participation estimates in the ‘Applied Sciences’ magazine that up to 6,000 of these animals today live on the continent. And camels can experience a comeback in Europe with a view to climate change.
After the domestication of the Dromedar in Southeast Arabia and the trampling animal in Central -Asia, the two species were widespread in different regions and served as packaging, pulling and assembling. Her meat and milk were also used.
Dromedars are traditionally found in countries in Africa, the nearby and the middle -east and southern Asia, while trampling animals are limited to Central -Asia, a team led by Elena Ciani of the University of Bari (Italy) wrote in its publication, where Pamela Burger of the Research Institute for Wild Animal also wrote at the Verinary.
Romans brought animals to Europe
At the time of the Roman Empire, their use started in Europe. Because of their higher speed and endurance as horses, they were initially admitted to the Roman army, but soon also played a role in imperial logistics and as a symbol of wealth and social status.
Accordingly, the remains of dromedaries, trambelt animals and their hybrids were found during the excavations of Roman locations in central and southeastern Europe, including in France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Austria, England, Hungary and Switzerland.
Camels were also important in early medieval Europe. They remained used as pack animals, but also in the context of religious and noble ceremonies and in public humiliation rituals. “Despite their historical importance, camels rare on the European mainland at the end of the 15th century and from the Renaissance mainly took place in exotic collections of the European aristocracy,” the researchers said.
Now the big comeback?
In their opinion, there is now a lot to say that camels in Europe can celebrate a comeback in the not too distant future. “Climate change and increasing desert formation in Europe are likely to lead to the adaptability of the camels to dry environments, as well as their special behavioral characteristics, their milk composition and their functional properties,” the research team writes in his work.
This development has been on the rise for a while. In the past three decades, camel breeding in West -Europe has experienced a Renaissance, with a focus on tourism and milk production. Given the demand for camel milk in Europe, this resulted in various countries such as Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Sweden and the Netherlands.
The increasing demand is largely due to the growing number of consumers from countries in which camel milk is a traditional product, as well as the growing popularity due to supposed health benefits.
The research team, which has created an interactive, freely accessible map with locations and basic information of Camel Farms and breeding centers as part of the research, does not expect Camelty breeding in Europe to have a similar interest with other important farms in Europe in the coming decades. However, it still offers “an interesting possibilities for diversification and profitability of farms”.
Source: Krone
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