Are You Willing to Buy a $3-million Worth Camel?

If given the chance, are you willing to buy a $3-million worth camel? If you ask me, it would be a “No”. In our place, there is no use for camels – unless if you have a zoo in your backyard (just joking! ). Other than that, I really can’t find any reason to buy it.

Well, not for Dubai’s crown prince, Sheik Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum who paid an “unprecedented” $2.7 million for one camel. He had a reason. He bought the camel to be used during a desert festival celebrating Bedouin traditions in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates, the richest of the seven semi-autonomous Emirates that make up the country due to its share of the country’s oil resources. And besides, owning fine camels is also a mark of prestige for the ruling elite in the Persian Gulf. Indeed, he has every right to buy that camel.

Camels are gregarious and well adapted to their environment – the desert. They can carry heavy cargoes, stand sand storms and large temperature differences. Camels are called the “desert ships” – they can swim when they encounter water. Yes, there is water in deserts – Lake Borollos in North Egypt, is one.

A camel can resist 17 days without drinking under a scorching heat. To resist the lack of water, the camels have several means of adjusting to the situation. Their body temperature varies depending on the environment. The kidneys’ function is regulated depending on the water availability; and when thirsty, transpiration is reduced towards zero. If it doesn’t drink anything for 17 days, a camel can lose a third of its weight without being affected. It was wrongly believed that its resistance resided in the water kept in its hump or stomach pouch. But three days later of drinking 104 liters of water at once (in 7-8 minutes!), there is no sign of the water in its hump nor stomach. Now, where did it all go?

Camels, like any other creatures in the animal kingdom is of great value. But for us commoners, and even common people living in deserts, it would be so unreasonable to purchase that kind of amount for a single camel. Even for reasons of having them as collectibles, it is unjustifiable. I believe that a modern man living in a modern world, having a camel, be it for transportation or as a pet, for free or for a million bucks, is impractical, unreasonable, and outright insane.