Kharai ‘swimming' camels drown in Kutch swamp
Ahmedabad: On June 23, four endangered Kharai camels — two lactating and two pregnant — drowned in a coastal swamp near the Jangi village in Kutch, raising concerns of escalating threats to this rare breed.
Renowned as the only breed of camels in the world capable of swimming long distances in seawater to graze on mangroves, the Kharai camels now face severe risks due to rapid habitat degradation and shrinking coastal ecosystems.
"The incident carries a particular sting of irony. Jangi is a traditional training ground where young Kharai camels learn to swim during high tide, a skill that helps them adapt to the coastal environment," says Jabbar Sama, project coordinator at 'Sahjeevan', an NGO working with the Rabari and Fakirani Jat tribes, who rely on Kharai camels for milk and transport.
Rasul Ali, the 35-year-old Kharai camel herder from Jangi village and owner of two of the deceased Kharai camels, told TOI, "I had taken around 125 camels to graze near the sea. It was raining, and seven camels got stuck in the swamp. I could save three." He added, "Large salt pans, industries and agricultural lands have disrupted coastal mangrove growth and traditional routes of our camels, leading to such tragedies.
" A 2013 advocacy report by Sahjeevan and the Kutch Camel Breeders' Association identified 41 bets (creeks) for these camels to swim and access mangroves. N T Nathani, deputy director (in charge) of the Kutch animal husbandry department, said, "The incident was brought to our notice by Bhachau-based veterinary officer after he was informed about it by the camel herder. The officer tried to reach the spot after learning of the incident, but could not.
No postmortems have been conducted until now."
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Bhika Rabari, the president of Kachchh Unt Uchherak Maldhari Sangathan (KUUMS), said, "Between 2018 and 2023, mangrove cover in the region shrank drastically from 4,084 to 1,312 hectares, while salt pans expanded from 13,681 to 17,918 hectares." Officiallyabout 4,266 Kharai camels were recorded by the Union govt in Gujarat in 2019.However, Sahjeevan's independent census indicates a starker decline in Kutch; from 1,952 in 2019 to just 1,096 in 2024, a loss of 856 camels in five years.
"The mangroves they feed on are vanishing. The govt had promised protection, but we are still waiting for it," Rabari said.
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