Dromedary (Camelus dromedarius) and Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) crossbreeding husbandry practices in Turkey and Kazakhstan: An in-depth review

Abstract

Hybridization between dromedaries and Bactrian camels has been carried out since ancient times in various areas of the Middle East and Central Asia. The primary force behind such practice was to obtain a better pack camel for trade caravans and military interventions. Today, camel hybridization is carried out systematically in only two areas: Turkey and Kazakhstan. In Turkey, camel cross-breeding is mainly done to obtain large animals for the annual camel wrestling competitions, while in Kazakhstan, cross-breeding is done to obtain camels that are more productive and better able to resist the harsh climate of Central Asia.

Homogeneity of Arabian Peninsula dromedary camel populations with signals of geographic distinction based on whole genome sequence data

“…This genetic hybridization, which explains the introgressed Bactrian genetic ancestry into a dromedary sample from Iran at K = 2 of the dataset 1 admixture analysis, has previously been detected by Ming et al 10 , and it is associated with breeding camels that combine the robustness and endurance of both species to withstand long-distance journeys 1 . The nar (male) and nar-maya (female) camels in Kazakhstan, and tulu camel in Turkey are examples of such cross-breeding as reviewed by Dioli 14 .…”

How many large camelids in the world? A synthetic analysis of the world camel demographic changes

“…For example, in Kazakhstan, the number of Bactrian camels represents 85% of the total camel stock (Imamura et al 2017). Bactrian camels are also present in Iran (Niasari-Naslaji et al 2009), Pakistan (Isani and Baloch 2000), India (Makhdoomi et al 2013), Afghanistan (Tapper 2011), Turkey (Dioli 2020) and Ukraine (Burger et al 2019). Some Bactrian camel farms overlap in Western countries, such as Austria or Sweden (Fig.…”

Iconographic evidence of hybridisation between Camelus bactrianus and Camelus dromedarius at second-century AD Hatra, Iraq

“…The advantages of hybridisation are confirmed by recent surveys of contemporary crossbreeding schemes in Turkey and Kazakhstan, which produce a camel breed with higher milk production capabilities than the Bactrian camel as well as the ability to survive the harsh climate of Central Asia essentially in a free-range situation … [in] hot summers and snowbound winters with severe subzero temperatures . (Dioli 2020: 16; for increased milk production in kazakh hybrids, see Alhadrami & Faye 2016)…”