Comments on: How Dry I Am? The U.S. Camel Corps

By: Patricia Barraclough

Patricia Barraclough — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:26:24 +0000

I hug my vet every day;0)
Thanks for an interesting post. Had heard about the program and Hi Jolly, but didn’t realize how he had gotten his name. It is too bad the program wasn’t more successful. Unfortunately, people forget that animals have adapted to their environment and little variations (like the sand being rocky) can make a big difference in their being able to adapt to a new place.
Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

By: jeanne sheats

jeanne sheats — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:04:05 +0000

I never had a clue that we used camels in the U.S. Military – fascinating!!!

By: Charlene Sands

Charlene Sands — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:59:15 +0000

Hi Mary – I should be cleaning and cooking, but instead I’m reading about camels in the US Military! This is fascinating. Where do you find all this amazing research? I can understand how the terrain wouldn’t be good for camels and they couldn’t shoe them like we do horses.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

By: Mary Connealy

Mary Connealy — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:43:08 +0000

I loved the part where the most recent sighting of a camel was in 1940. I’m surprised they didn’t take over the west.

I wonder why it didn’t work. Honestly I think it had more to do with their feet than their temperment. The rocks got stuck in their toes in a way they just didn’t in the Middle East.

You’d have thought they’d have had babies and the herds would have self-perpetuated and the riders would have learned to handle them and the horses/mules/donkeys would have adjusted. I mean c’mon they adjusted to TRAINS.

By: Karen Kay

Karen Kay — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:36:44 +0000

Oh, Mary, this is a wonderful post. I once said to someone about our American West that they had once imported camels to do the treks. This is such good info.