Guarantee Your Safety Around Camels

Can you guarantee your own safety around camels?

Do you know what it takes to make sure that you’re not going to be seriously injured by a camel?

I know this sounds like a heavy topic, but hear me out, because if anything, this is the most important thing you need to consider if you have camels or are thinking of having camels in the future.

Or...

TRANSCRIPT: 

Hi, I’m Tara, head Camel Educator at CamelConnection.com & host of this podcast all about camels! And if you’re a camel owner, carer, or wanna be owner then you are in the right place!

If you’ve been listening here for a while you’ll know how much I bang on about how amazing camels are…

How much they desire connection with the most familiar things in their environment and how easy they are to train & handle...

My motto is ‘more camels in more lives’... but… there’s a but… There are some serious things to consider when becoming a camel owner.

I will tell you now, I'm not here to pull the wool over your eyes and fool you into camel ownership when you're not completely informed.

The most successful camel ownership that I see to date (in other words camels that aren't being rehomed 1 or 2 years after acquiring) is when people are WELL informed about camels in their behaviours, their care and wellbeing. So, as always I’m here to help you become more informed about camel ownership.

Safety first people! As cheesy as that saying can be, it should 110% be in the forefront of your thought EVERY. DAMN. TIME. you're with camels - Do not underestimate this!

To this day, even with the camels that I’ve known for over 8 years and worked extensively with them in commercial settings as well as spending hundreds of days and nights literally living and breathing them on camel treks, I NEVER let my guard down, ever!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m chilled and relaxed when I’m around my most trusted camels (cos they like that, obviously!), but I’ve 110% made a habit of being aware that I’m constantly in a risky situation given how large the animals are.

For instance, all one of my camels have to do is swat a fly - a fly people! - with their front legs (yes, cos they can lift them straight up!) and any part of my body is in the wrong place at the wrong time… Lets just say things can turn hairy real fast. I could be knocked out flat and left for dead if no one else is around!

I hear stories of people being injured by camels all the time and it’s deeply upsetting, because its sooooooo avoidable almost 99.9% of the time.

Camels ARE gentle giants, but they don’t actually know how big they are - Seriously! People get upset at their camels for doing ‘camel things’ yet at the end of the day the camel has no idea of their own size, which is why it’s so important to get formal training in place, so they can have a sense of identity.

A camel without any form training whatsoever is a confused camel.

Like dogs, if you don’t fromally train them they form their own identity which is usually rich in their natural instincts and they give themselves a ‘job,’ because they don’t have a pack leader. This is where bad habits and unwanted behaviours stem from and it’s exactly the same for the camel, they need a pack (or ‘herd’) leader for them to be a safe & well behaved camel.

How does one guarantee their own safety around camels…?

By formally training yourself and your camels or the camels you care for.

When I meet *new* camels I’m definitely not as relaxed around them as I am my own camels and I’ll never let my guard down enough to let a camel think that I’m NOT on high alert until I can get to know them better, because when a camel is uncertain or scared about a situation or person they’ll almost instantly react, which can lead to a dangerous situation FAST!

Note: Just because my ‘guard isn’t down’ that doesn't mean I’m not chilled and calm, there’s a big difference. And this really comes from building really good camel handling habits to the point where it’s second nature every time I’m around camels.

Here’s the fact: You’re never going to be as big as a camel.

Your “job” as a handler or owner is to convince the camel that you’re worthy of leadership status. This doesn’t mean that you’re being forceful or dominate, simply that you’re proving to the camel that:

#1 You’ll keep them safe and.. 

#2 All their needs will be met.

In a camel herd environment, this is exactly what makes leadership status in a herd environment. You cannot undo a camel's natural instincts, instead, you’re required to make sense of them over time so that you can have a harmonious relationship with any camel you work with or handle.

What makes a safe camel…?

A trained camel makes a safe camel.

But truthfully not just any training will do. It HAS to be training built upon connection and trust and if you want to get formally trained in camel training & handling I’d love to welcome you into The Camel Connection Academy where we’re all about that!

The best training a camel can have is from the person or persons who are in their life the most. Switching up the people who are training & handling regularly will leave you with a confused and possibly aggressive camel (for good reasons)!

If you’re in a commercial operation, you need a Head Cameleer / handler. Someone to advocate for the camels. The camels will look to this person for their own safety & wellbeing and any new staff, obviously must go through training protocols, for the wellbeing of the camels (if you’re a commercial operator I can help you create these protocols within my consulting services, just reach out to me!).

If you’re a sole camel owner, mostly dealing with the camels yourself, then you are in a prime position to take on a leadership role and create security and good behaviour habits for yourself and your camels.

So now you know: The way to guarantee your own safety is to get formal training for yourself & your camels - despite whether or not they are “working camels…” Pet camels are 100% included in this conversation!

If you have camels (or you become a new camel owner) and have not undergone formal training, don’t wait for an accident or bad behaviour habits to form: Join The Academy and start getting yo-self educated!

To see all the perks you get when you’re a member of our Academy head over to camelconnection.com/membership - we welcome new members daily and we provide everything you need to be the best and most well-informed camel owner, carer, handler, Camel Person!

To become a member of the Cameleer Academy JOIN HERE and we’ll see you in The Academy!

Happy Camel Connecting!