By Abbas Nazil
Africa’s iconic camels, long celebrated for their ability to survive harsh desert conditions, are increasingly falling victim to rising temperatures as climate change intensifies heatwaves, drought and environmental degradation across the continent, raising concerns over the livelihoods of millions of pastoralists who depend on the animals.
Scientists, veterinarians and livestock experts say extreme heat is pushing camels beyond their natural tolerance limits, leading to increased cases of heat stress, dehydration, disease, reproductive disorders, reduced milk production and rising mortality in several African countries.
The worsening situation is particularly evident across the Horn of Africa and North Africa, which together are home to about 80 percent of the world’s one-humped dromedary camels.
Camel herder Ali Umer from Ethiopia’s Afar region, one of the hottest places on Earth, said he has witnessed dramatic changes in recent years as temperatures continue to climb.
According to him, the intense heat has caused blisters on the animals’ feet, watery eyes, skin burns and hair loss from prolonged contact with scorching ground surfaces.
He revealed that he lost eight camel calves within a month because of the extreme temperatures, adding that even the winds that once brought relief now carry hot air.
Researchers say such experiences reflect a growing pattern across Africa, where rising temperatures are increasing stress on camels directly while also reducing access to water, vegetation and shaded grazing areas needed for their survival.
A 2025 study involving camel herders in southern Ethiopia found that climate variability and increasing temperatures have significantly affected camel health, productivity and reproductive performance.
In neighbouring Somalia, a recent study involving nearly 6,000 pastoral households reported that drought-related camel deaths affected almost 46 percent of camel-owning families, with mortality reaching nearly 73 percent in the northern Sool region.
Veterinary officers across the region also report growing numbers of sick animals.
Hassan Nuya Guyo, a veterinary officer in Kenya’s Marsabit County near the Ethiopian border, said cases of hyperthermia and secondary infections among camels have increased considerably.
He noted that camel deaths in the area have risen by more than 15 percent over the past two years due to prolonged exposure to extreme heat.
Experts explain that while camels possess remarkable physiological adaptations that allow them to conserve water and regulate body temperature under normal desert conditions, those mechanisms begin to fail when temperatures consistently exceed their comfort range.
The World Meteorological Organization reports that heatwaves across North Africa have become more frequent and intense since 1981, with several countries recording temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius in recent years.
Its State of the Climate in Africa 2025 report also identified North Africa as the continent’s fastest-warming sub-region, recording an average warming rate of 0.43 degrees Celsius per decade between 1991 and 2025.
Dr. Mohammed Bengoumi of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said prolonged exposure to temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius, combined with water shortages, disappearing vegetation and inadequate shade, places camels under severe heat stress.
Professor Abdelmadjid Chehma of the University of Ghardaia in Algeria explained that sustained temperatures between 41 and 45 degrees Celsius can damage camel cells, weaken their immune systems and reduce their ability to repair tissues, making them more vulnerable to disease and death.
Other researchers say heat stress slows metabolism, reduces food intake, causes fatigue and weight loss, lowers milk production and affects fertility, creating serious economic challenges for pastoral communities that rely heavily on camels for food, transport and income.
Animal hydrobiology expert Professor Mohammed el Khasmi of the University of Casablanca also identified kidney problems, inflammation, muscle disorders, parasite-related infections and chemical imbalances among the growing health complications associated with prolonged heat exposure.
The worsening environmental conditions have forced many Ethiopian herders to permanently relocate their camel herds from northern regions to southern areas where water and vegetation remain relatively available.
Researchers say this movement is no longer seasonal migration but a long-term response to changing climatic conditions that have made traditional grazing lands increasingly unsuitable.
Aid organisation Oxfam warned that the Horn of Africa is once again facing severe drought after only recently emerging from the devastating 2020 to 2023 drought, with water prices in parts of Somalia increasing by more than 2,000 percent.
Experts caution that unless greenhouse gas emissions are reduced and stronger adaptation measures, veterinary services and water management systems are implemented, climate change will continue to undermine one of Africa’s most resilient livestock species.
They warn that camels, once regarded as the ultimate survivors of desert environments, are increasingly becoming victims of an intensifying climate crisis that threatens both the animals and the communities whose survival depends on them.