Our Knowledge and Experience

Joseph has over 50 years of experience of handling large animals. Rebecca also has over 40 years experience handling horses, with 20 years of experience with camels. Between them, they have extensive knowledge of camel behaviour and husbandry. They advise institutions, domestic and international, camel owners and farms. 

Our animals are trained and looked after to the highest standard, and all our staff are experienced animal handlers. We have our Dangerous Wild Animals License, animal activities license and Public Liability Insurance. First for camel where the camels come first!

Our Camels

Our camels have 30 acres of field to live in during the day and then they come into their stables at night.  They graze on grass during the day with access to fresh water and at night they have hay and a feed to eat. They are washed and groomed regularly and have regular vet check ups.  

They are much loved pets who also work.  Camels have been domesticated for longer than horses and have worked in tandem with man in many aspects.  They are very special animals who deserve much respect for their intelligence and lovely natures.  We are privileged to have them and be able to share them with so many people who thoroughly enjoy meeting them.

How camels thrive in the UK:

People often ask how our camels cope with the UK climate. Our answer – they love it! The camels have thrived in the recent heatwaves. The winter months don’t bother them as they are naturally acclimatised to extreme temperatures. It is below freezing in the desert at night, therefore they deal with the cold well. We also make sure that during the colder months our camels stay in their warm stables at night, filled with straw and hay. The camels are quick to let us know whether they want to stay out or come, in by coming to the gate of the field. We are entirely at their service.

History of Camels:

JAC has both types of camel – the one humped Dromedary and the two humped Bactrian. The camelid family came into existence in North America during the Upper Eocene Age, millions of years ago.  They were the size of a hare.  Much later after the species developed they crossed the Bering Straits.  The wild camel found in the Gobi desert is the origin of all domestic camels.  At some point the Dromedary lost the second hump, although the Dromedary embryo still has two tiny nodules indicating both humps!

Domestication:

Camels have been sharing our lives for as long as horses. Dromedaries were probably domesticated in coastal settlements along the southern Arabian peninsula somewhere between 3000 and 2500 BC. Evidence for the domestication of Bactrian camels has been found as early as 2600 BC at Shar-i Sokhta (also known as the Burnt City), Iran.

Origin:

Bactrian camels are found in the Gobi desert in Mongolia, Northern China, countries ending in ‘stan’, Russia and India. Dromedaries are found in Africa, the Middle East, India and Australia. The Afghans brought Dromedaries to Australia in the 1870s to help build the railways.  There is now a large feral population in the outback.

Camels Facts:

Camels have developed to deal with extremes of temperature. They can last 10 days without water and when they refill they can drink 25 gallons in 10 minutes.  Despite being called a horse designed by a committee, they have evolved very effectively.  Long eyelashes, bushy eyebrows, an extra eyelid, small furry ears and slitty nostrils all help protect them in sandstorms.

They are born without humps.  The hump is a store of fat which grows as they do and is there as an emergency food store.  Floppy humps are a sign of ill health or incorrect nutrition.  Camels are amazing creatures.