Wild camel conservation

To the untrained eye, the wild camel may appear indistinguishable from the domestic Bactrian camel. With a bit of experience, however, it can easily be told apart— for instance, by its smaller, more pointed humps. Photo: Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo

Threats to the Wild Camel

The wild camel (Camelus ferus) was only relatively recently confirmed by genetic studies as a distinct species. Approximately one million years of independent evolution separate it from the ancestors of the domestic Bactrian camel. Until 2025, it was listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Critically Endangered; it is now classified as Endangered thanks to conservation measures that successfully averted the expected population decline. [More information here.]

Poaching, the risk of hybridisation with domestic camels, competition for limited water and food resources with livestock, and plans for infrastructure development and mining activities are the main threats to its future. Only some 400 to 1,100 wild camels live in the Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area in southern Mongolia, while another 640 to 740 are estimated to occur in three areas of China.

Wild herd in the Great Gobi A. Photo: Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo

HOW DO WE HELP?

Gobi A is absolutely crucial for the species’ survival. There, Prague Zoo works with The Wild Camel Protection Foundation to provide long-term expert assistance in managing the in-range breeding programme for wild camels and takes part in their monitoring and research.

Support for Breeding Centres in Gobi A
In April 2019, Prague Zoo signed an agreement to support the construction of security fencing at the wild camel breeding centre in the Zakhyn Us area of Gobi A. At the time, this was the only breeding centre of its kind in the world, but it later became insufficient in terms of capacity. Therefore, in April 2023, Prague Zoo provided funding for the construction of a new breeding centre at the Toli Bulag site, located at the north-eastern edge of Gobi A. This project, the largest construction financed by Prague Zoo abroad to date, includes a 60-hectare enclosure, a shelter, watering facilities, a handling area, and staff accommodation. In 2024, seven camels were transferred here from the original breeding centre, selected based on their genetic (non-)relatedness and their health status, to establish a new breeding group. In spring 2025, the first three calves were born at the new centre.

The transfer of wild camels from Zakhyn Us breeding centre to the new one in Toli Bulag in September 2024 involved a challenging journey of more than 300 km across the desert. Photo: David Broda

Support for the Management of the Great Gobi A
In past years, support has also been directed towards the management of the Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area. This has included, for example, funding a communications network or providing rangers with motorcycles.

Plans for the Future
Plans are underway to establish an insurance population of wild camels in European zoos. In this context, a memorandum has been signed between Prague Zoo and the Mongolian Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, which, among other things, designates Prague Zoo as the main partner for the conservation of wild camels.

First of the calves born in the new breeding centre in Toli Bulag. Photo: Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo