Baby Bactrian Camel born in Detroit Zoo
A new female baby camel is born at the Detroit Zoo, Michigan, USA.
Bactrian camel Rusi came into the world at the end of July in the family of 9-year-old father Rusty and 9-year-old mother Suren.
The newborn has 3-year-old brother Humphrey.
Almost ten days ago camel babe Rusi weighed about 56 kg at birth and was over 121 cm tall. Her fur now is soft-grey, but it will change with a time to light-brown.
Rusi is eager to learn about new surroundings. She spends a lot of time napping and nursing, say officers for the Detroit Zoological Society. And Suren, like all mothers, is an very attentive for her newborn.
A couple of female camel Suren (means ‘majestic’ from Mongolian) and male Rusty have appeared in Detroit Zoo in 2008 and 2009, respectively.
The body length of adult Bactrian camel is varying from 2.25 to 3.5 meters and weighs usually from 300 to 1000 kg. These animals are characterized by high level of adaptation to weather temperatures ranging from -30℃ to +50℃.
The name of Bactrian camel refers to the historical region of Bactria, which included the territory of eastern Turkmenistan, as well as present Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China and Pakistan.
The National Museum of Turkmenistan in Ashgabat displays an amazingly beauty and skillfully manufactured silver jug found during the excavations at Gonurdepe, the capital of the ancient state of Margush. Ancient Greek and Roman chroniclers called it Margiana. Modern scientists of worldwide reputation have recognized this country, which occupied the territory of present-day Turkmenistan, as one of the centers of human civilization. This 4-thousand-year old silver jug depicts very artfully the caravan of Bactrian camels.
Central Asian people started domesticate Bactrian camel over 4 thousand years ago. Mainly, they were used as a pack animal, and in terms of endurance this camel far exceeds horse. In addition, they are generous suppliers of milk, meat and wool. Bactrian camel gives an average of 6-10 kg of wool per shearing and one female camel yields an average of 500-600 liters of milk per year.
The wild Bactrian camels that inhabit the Mongolian deserts of Gobi and Taklamakan are under threat of extinction.
