WILD CAMEL PROTECTION FOUNDATION

Head Office, School Farm, Benenden, Kent, TN17 4EU England

Tel: 44 (0) 1580 241132

Email: harecamel@aol.com

www.wildcamels.com

Hon. Life Patron: Dr. Jane Goodall D.B.E.

Patrons:

The Marchioness of Bute, The Countess of Chichester, Lady Grant, Professor Yuan Guoying, Peter Hall, Jane McMorland Hunter of Hafton, Gerald Kidd, Damon de Laszlo, Lulu Lytle, Colin McIntosh, Professor David Munro, The Dowager Marchioness of Reading

APRIL 2013 – Newsletter Number 30

Dear Wild Camel Supporter,

FUND RAISING

GOLDEN JOURNEY – LEGENDS OF THE SILK ROAD

The January performance of ‘Golden Journey, Legends of the Silk Road’ to raise funds for WCPF at the Linbury Theatre, part of the Royal Opera House, was a huge success. Lady Chichester brilliantly organised a consummate performance of her script about the history of the Silk Road, and in doing so raised substantial funds for the wild camels.  She persuaded Nadia Fall, a director at the National Theatre to direct it with assistance from Danny Wyler, who has long been associated with productions at the Royal Opera House. Dame Harriet Walter, the well-known actress was the narrator and Derek Jacobi gave a recorded reading of Kublai Khan. However, it was Lady Chichester’s two domestic Bactrian camels which stole the show when they appeared on stage towards the end of the performance. Groomed to perfection, Therese and Timujin gave a star performance. I was persuaded to ride Therese and she behaved impeccably. Provided with her own ‘mopper-upper’ for when Therese in her excitement produced an unscheduled performance on stage (literally) in addition to the one in the script.

The production was followed by a 5-course Chinese dinner in the Royal Opera House restaurant and I was able to explain to the diners just why the wild camel was so important and the work the WCPF has been doing for almost 20 years to save it from extinction. A huge THANK YOU from all our trustees and patrons to Lady Chichester.  Many people and organizations made very generous donations for which WCPF is very grateful. I mention RIO TINTO by name because they subsidised the staging of the performance itself.

CAMEL DAY 2013

We have just finalized the date for our Annual Camel Race Day. This year it will be at the home of Sir William and Lady MacAlpine at Fawley Hill near Henley-on-Thames on September 8^th 2013.  Joe and Rebecca Fossett have once again kindly agreed to bring their racing camels and I hope to entice the Mongolian wrestlers and musicians to come and give us another display of their prowess. More details later. Please put the DATE IN YOUR DIARIES and look at www.fawleyhill.co.uk to see more details about the site. Fawley Hill has the most amazing private collection of steam vehicles and also a large collection of common and endangered species, some of which after sustaining life-threatening injuries have been rescued by Sir William and Lady MacAlpine

JANE McMORLAND HUNTER

Yet again Patron Jane is running to raise money for the wild camels. This time it is the Edinburgh Coast Run on Sunday 26^th of May. Quote from Jane, ‘I shall be wearing a Wild Camel running shirt and may run with a toy camel – it all depends how well the toy’s training goes, so far, mine is going better!’

Please support the wild camels by supporting her run. A BIG Thank you to those who have already donated. Here is still time to donate via the www.wildcamels.com website or post a cheque made out to the Wild Camel Protection Foundation to Jane McMorland Hunter, 19 Varna Road, London SW6 7LB. Jane raises over £1000 for us each year and maybe our Scottish supporters would like to gather at the event to cheer her on! Why not bring the pipes! Jane works for Slightly Foxed (www.foxedquarterly.com) the Real Readers Quarterly, a delightful literary quarterly magazine, and WCPF supporter, at their bookshop at 23 Gloucester Rd., London SW7 4TE. They have a collecting box for the wild camels in their bookshop.

CAMEL POTS AT THE RUBIN MUSEUM

Joan Digby, our tireless USA supporter and a tower of strength in New York, has found a potter who makes wonderful pots infilled with wild camel hair. These come in different sizes and shapes and are sold at the Rubin Museum. They have become a huge success. Joan has already raised $1000 for the wild camels’ cause through these pots and we are extremely grateful. If you want to see these amazing pots click on our website and search for the link for the Rubin Museum website. www.rmanyc.org

WEBSITE

Please continue to visit our website which is constantly being updated and contains a great deal of relevant information from both in China and Mongolia. Please see www.wildcamels.com if you have not already visited the site. A very BIG THANK YOU to Anna Jemmett. She has kindly agreed to help the WCPF with its facebook and twitter. Please do look at both www.facebook.com/WildCamels

www.twitter.com/WildCamels

EDUCATIONAL AWARENESS-RAISING PROGRAMME

Two posters have been prepared to a highly professional standard thanks to the generosity of Alaska Zoo <www.alaskazoo.org> They permitted the use of excellent posters they had prepared for a publicity display at the Zoo, about the wild camels to be adapted for use in the Chinese and Mongolian environmental awareness programme.

Three educational booklets have also been prepared and will be turned into DVDs. All these materials are Phase One of a WCPF educational programme, which we hope to carry to the schools and villages which surround the two huge wild camel reserves and our breeding centre in both Mongolia and China. With Mongolia currently in the grip of rampant mining fever and deposits of gold having been found in the Great Gobi Specially Protected Area ‘A’ attracting scores of illegal miners, the campaign is vital and extremely timely. The materials will be translated into Chinese, Mongolian, Kazakh and Uighur and quantities printed will depend on our budget. The Chinese Xinxiang Provincial Government has made a significant contribution to the Nature Reserve to be used towards the costs the project in China. And we are very grateful to the Mohammed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund for endangered species which has made a very generous contribution which enabled us to get the campaign underway. Any member who would like to donate funds specifically for this programme should let us know when their donation is sent.

VOLUNTEER FOR MONGOLIA

WCPF has had a huge success with the last two young female volunteers who went to stay at Breeding Centre in Mongolia. Our third volunteer, a young man, Ayden Percy has volunteered to spend six months or more this year at Zakhyn Us, the wild camel breeding centre in Mongolia. He will help the herdsmen with our work at the breeding centre and be there with me for the ’soft release’ of a group of wild camels from the breeding centre into the desert in September.

Our success at the breeding centre has meant that we are now in a position to organise this ’soft release’ and with the approval of the Mongolian Ministry of Nature and the Environment, we are planning to release a small herd into the Gobi at a carefully chosen site within the Specially Protected Area ‘A’, the last stronghold of the wild camel in Mongolia. They will be subject to a ’slow release’ which means they will be monitored for some weeks after their release and also fitted with collars so they can be tracked. This is the first time a ’soft release’ of wild camels has been undertaken either in Mongolia or China and Ayden will be on hand to assist.

He is skilled in solar energy technology and is very mechanical so he should be of great help to the Mongolians in this very remote area. Anna Jemmett who worked at the breeding centre during the summer months two years ago will be meeting Ayden this month and briefing him before he travels to Zakhyn Us in May. The specialized Mongolian agency, Panoramic Journeys who have helped us over the years in many ways will help Ayden organize accommodation and transport. Please see <www.panoramicjourneys.com> or link through the WCPF website.

JOSEPH AND HIS AMAZING CAMELS

Joe and Rebecca Fossett who have raised funds for us for three years by loaning their camels for camel racing have secured a place this summer at the Kent County Show as a major attraction. WCPF helped them to get this appointment at the prime Agricultural show in Kent and are delighted they have been successful. WCPF will use their two performances a day, over three days to publicise their efforts to save the wild camel.

LECTURES

I continue to give lecture to schools and other institutions, societies or clubs that wishes to listen. If any member knows of any suitable lecture audiences who might be interested in a talk please let me know. The wider the wild camel message gets out, the better.

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS

You’re annual subscription is used entirely for funding the Mongolian Breeding Centre Budget. So please remember to renew your annual membership and if you haven’t, please send £20.00 (or its equivalent in foreign currency). You can pay by going direct to the website www.wildcamels.com using Paypal. If you are paying in US dollars or Euros you can also transfer funds direct into the WCPF’s Euro or US dollar accounts. Please email us for the WCPF bank and transfer details.  Thank you to the many members who pay by setting up a standing order with their bank to pay direct to the WCPF account. This keep costs down.

SPONSORING A YOUNG WILD CAMEL

If you sponsoring a young wild camel at the breeding centre please remember to send your annual payment, which was due 1st March 2013.

Very best wishes and renewed thanks for your great support for our on-going work – the protection and conservation of the critically endangered wild camel from extinction. It is with your help and generous support that we are able to achieve so much. Just heard from Gotov our Manager at the Breeding Centre that TWO camel calves have been born and even after the very hard winter they are very healthy, thanks to all the winter Hay we bought last year for their mothers.

John Hare

Wild Camel Protection Foundation Head Office,

School Farm, Benenden, Kent TN17 4EU

www.wildcamels.com

www.johnhare.org.uk

POSTSCRIPT: Last Man In – End of Empire in Northern Nigeria 

I have just published a new book which is unrelated to the wild camel but indicative of why I dedicated myself to its survival. I was the last recruit into the Colonial Administrative Service in Northern Nigeria – hence the title of this book.  My years 1957 to 1964 coincided with a time of momentous change in Nigeria, a colony when I arrived, it was an independent state when I left, just before a military coup and the onset of the Biafran war. 

I was brought into contact with rapidly disappearing and now forgotten cultures and customs in one of the remotest parts of West Africa, the former German Cameroons. I was caught up, at a junior level, in unrecorded political events which merit, I believe, a footnote in Nigerian history. Northern Nigeria gave me my first introduction to the camel. The current enmity between tribal groups and ensuing religious conflict are explained from an historical perspective. This explanation puts the emergence of the current Muslim terrorist organisation Boko Haram and the present religious and political strife in Nigeria into a comprehensible context.

To order a copy of Last Man In – approximately 290 pages, 15 arresting black/white photos – at £20.00 (plus £3.00 postage), please write to me at:

School Farm. Benenden, Kent TN17 4EU or Email <harecamel@aol.com>

The finale recounted the story of the WCPF’s mission to save the critically endangered wild camel from extinction and some of John Hare’s hazardous adventures in the Chinese Gobi, which culminated in the establishment of the Lop Nur Wild Camel National Nature Reserve in Xinjiang Province, China.

However, the real stars of the evening were the Countess of Chichester’s two Bactrian camels, Therese and Temujin who had travelled all the way from Salisbury and stole the show with their impeccable on-stage behaviour. A full house thoroughly appreciated the production, which was devised and written by the Countess of Chichester, (WCPF patron), who was the source and inspiration behind the evening’s great success. The co-producer was the highly efficient Danny Wyler.

The many distinguished narrators and actors, the dancers, musicians, the production staff and all the stage hands gave their time and effort completely free. Rio Tinto, whose ethical mining policy is supporting wildlife and environmental protection both in Mongolia and China, generously co-sponsored the production. The evening, which included a Chinese banquet, was a great success and raised much needed funds for the WCPF.

WCPF sends a huge vote of thanks to all who were involved.

Joseph Fossett, a good friend who keeps domestic Dromedary and Bactrian camels at Idlicote, Warwickshire, England agreed to bring the camels to Hole Park in Rolvenden, Kent thanks to a kind invitation from Edward and Claire Barham. September weather had been kind throughout the month but the clouds gathered on the morning of the 23^rd, the day of the races. These clouds brought rain – in huge quantities. Through the teeming rain, intrepid wild camel supporters turned up – almost 1000 of them.

We determined to carry on. The Mongolian wrestlers and singers arrived early, although the archer had left his arrows behind in Nottingham, but as for the camels – word got around that they were stuck on the motorway in their camel box near Heathrow Airport.

The Mongolians wrestled manfully in their loincloths as the rain poured down. The singers and instrumentalists crooned their songs of love and lament as the waters swirled around them.

At three o’ clock, the time scheduled for the first race, the camel box finally trundled up the drive followed by the racing pigs in a trailer. Huge sighs of relief. Miraculously as it did so, for the very first time that day the rain stopped. Out came the pigs and raced away while the camels took a breather to get their wind back and snatch a quick snack. At 3.30 pm when they were due to take the field, all were ready except for one. The grumpy and disgruntled Safari, who was distinctly out of sorts. He had had enough of the camel box, the motorway and all members of the human race and he certainly let us know just how he felt.

When the other jockeys were mounted and at the starting tape, Safari was facing stubbornly in the wrong direction, squatting down, bellowing and refusing to budge. A female jockey had drawn the short straw and was riding Safari, but as soon as the race started, and the three other camels were a quarter of the way down the course, Safari got up swivelled round, and set off after them at a gallop. He overtook the entire field and won. When someone else rode him in the next heat he won again and then again in the final.

In spite of the weather, the Wild Camel Protection Foundation made over three quarters of the money needed to buy winter hay.

John Hare

harecamel@aol.com

7/10/12

Joe and Rebecca Fossett have generously agreed to bring their racing camels from Warwickshire and there will be CAMEL POLO, CAMEL RACING and CAMEL RIDES. There will also be PIG RACING, a barbecue and many other side shows and attractions. Please make a note in your diaries to come to this colourful fund-raising event, which will be held in the setting of Hole Park, a country estate with beautiful, well known gardens, which the owners’ Mr and Mrs Edward Barham have generously made available for the event. 

Acclaimed journalist MATTHEW PARRIS is a guest of honour and we will try to get him on to the back of a camel. Camping can be arranged for people planning to stay overnight and there is also good accommodation locally.

Directions to Hole Park:

Full details of location may be found at the Hole Park Web site www.holepark.com

Staplehurst is the nearest station from Charing Cross, London. Hole Park is situated between the villages of Benenden and Rolvenden in Kent, 6 miles from Staplehurst and 55 miles south of London. The address is: Hole Park, Rolvenden, Cranbrook, Kent. TN17 4JA England. <www.holepark.com>gives details of how to get there by road and for non-internet users the A21 out of London should be taken and a left-hand turn to Goudhurst on to the A262. Through the village of Goudhurst and follow the signs for Cranbrook turning right on the B2085 by the Peacock Pub. Then follow B2086 to Benenden . Through the village of Benenden and a mile outside Benenden on the Rolvenden road, Hole Park is on the left hand side of the road and still on the B2086.

Anna Jemmett’s Report on the Zakhyn Us Breeding Centre

The following report is based on personal experiences made during a stay in the Govi-Altai province, Mongolia, from between the 3^rd of August to the 21^st of October 2011. I was able to stay in Bayantori, Zakhyn Us and surrounding areas due to the support of the Wild Camel Protection Foundation UK. This report aims to outline the daily life of the wild camel herders in the late summer months as well as observations that were made on wild camel behaviour. Possible future goals will also be mentioned.

Daily life at the breeding centre

The family Ger is situated in summer grazing pasture (co-ordinates ). The grazing is based in water available areas which are much lusher and have more grazing than the surrounding desert. The Wild camels are herded, by the family, with domesticated dromedaries. During the summer months the adult camels are turned out and free-ranging whilst the calves are tethered overnight. This management technique is used to stop the mothers leaving with the calves.  In the mornings adult females are herded towards the desert whilst calves are un-tethered but monitored throughout the day. The calves were tethered again in the early evening, before the females arrived back. The females returned in the evenings to suckle the calves, usually between 4-6pm but were occasionally later. The calves called to mothers throughout the day, calling became more frequent in the evenings towards the time mothers were due to return. On Tuesday the 20^th of August the herd (domestic and wild) were moved to further grazing. Again calves were tethered at night and females free-ranged, returning in the evenings to feed the calves. The male wild camels were not observed in the same area as the females, but seemed to be based near the enclosure at Zakhyn Us (co-ordinates).

 Grazing pastures- first (left) and second (right) 

Before the wild camels were brought back into the breeding centre at Zakhyn Us the shelter was mucked out and all the fences were checked and repaired. Once the work was finished the camels were brought back into the enclosure for the winter months. The camels were herded back in using horses and motorbikes. On the … the male camels were brought back into Zakyn Us. The females and calves were then brought in on…

The “Hasha” wild camel enclosure. Being cleaned (left) and surrounding habitat (right).

Towards the end of October the building of a house began at Zakyn Us. The aim of which is to have a weather proof base for the Wild camel herder to use over winter. The building began on the 12^th of October and was completed on the 22^nd of October.

Winter house at Zakhyn Us. Foundations and building process

Original aims.

The original aim of the expedition was to determine behavioural states of the captive bred wild camels and to observe mother young interactions. Because of the management technique of separating mothers and calves and females and males during the summer and early autumnal months it was not possible to gain an accurate study of the natural behaviour within the herd. Individuals were separated so that natural herd interactions were not visable. Also the inclusion of domestic Bactrian camels changed herd dynamics and interactions.  Observations were made on the herd and these will be discussed.

Observations

Aesthetic differences with domestic Bactrians.

The wild camels show a number of aesthetic differences from domestic Bactrian. Many of these could be dependent upon the time of year. As these observations were made between September and October they may change throughout the year. Further observations and measurements would need to be made to gain a clearer understanding of these differences.

 The coat of the wild camel is lighter in colour. The colour is also more general amongst individuals, domestic Bactrian’s show a much wider variety in coat colour. Wild camels show a distinct dorsal stripe that continues from the head onto the tail, which the Bactrian’s lack. The hair on upper front legs is darker than the rest of the coat. During the September/ October period the domestic Bactrian had a much thicker and longer coat than that of the wild, this could change with winter coat.  

The wild camels appear to be larger in size, taller, but this could depend upon age of the individual again a greater understanding could be gained with further investigation. The build of the wild camel is more athletic and leaner- even with the same grazing. The humps of the wild camel are smaller than that of the domestic and they are more pointed and upright.

Wild camel female (left) and domestic Bactrian male (right).

When looking at the head of the camel it can be noted that the upper lip is split and either side can move independently. As with most ruminants they lack an upper set of incisor teeth, instead having a cartilage pad. The lower incisors are at an angle from the jaw. When the camel is relaxed the lower lip droops. All these features are present in the wild camel. Photos bellow both show wild camel females relaxed with drooped lower lip.  Photo on the right shows the split upper lip.

Vocalisations

Communication between individuals appears complex with a number of different vocalisations. Most commonly used vocalisations are a sharp shriek which indicates a warning or anger, as does a short wail. Individuals also call to one another using a long howl (video) and this is both used between mother and calf and also between conspecifics. While separated throughout the day the calves frequently call to mothers even when the females are not visible. Individuals will also still call to one another whilst lying down.

A call/howl to conspecifics in the herd seemed to stimulate movement. It appeared that there was a hierarchy and the lead female initiated movement. This would need to be investigated further, both to determine whether the herd hierarchy is set and also when males are present.

Behaviours.

When herded separately both the mothers and the calves would stay in groups containing other wild camels. Although some domestic camels would also be seen to graze with the wild, the wild would always be together. It would be interesting to know when the domestic and wild were introduced, and at what age the calves were when this introduction occurred.

The camels would often show grooming behaviours between conspecifics. This included rubbing the heads and necks together. It would be interesting to determine if this happened between all individuals in the herd.

Towards the end of October the females began to show a number of behaviours that could suggest the beginnings of the rut. They would urinate on the back legs, including urinating and deficating whilst lying down. They were also seen to slap the tail onto the back.

Herd members.

There were four calves born in the spring of 2011 two male and two female. Other members of the herd include the 4 breeding females, two younger females, two large breeding bulls and 4 younger males. In the two months of the trip most interaction was with the calves and mothers, occasionally with the young females. The males were brought in on … and one had still not been located by the time the expedition was complete.

Over 350 people turned up on a rain-free day in Warwickshire to raise funds for the Wild Camel Protection Foundation. The day was a great success and the crowd was entertained to camel racing, pig racing and camel polo .A picture of the Wild Camel Protection Foundation polo team is shown and also a picture of the team in action. WCPF won 4 – 1 (the only goal against being scored when John Hare forgot which way he should be facing!).

The money raised will be put towards the outstanding projects which need funding at the Zakhyn Us wild camel breeding centre in Mongolia in particular the purchase of hay to ensure the wild camels are well fed over the winter months.

John Hare has just returned from the expedition in China which Prince Albert of Monaco’s Foundation for endangered species and Ran Fiennes’s Transglobe Expedition Trust generously supported. The expedition consisted of two separate stages.

Stage One:
There were with John Hare on this stage two Chinese scientists, Professor Yuan Guoying and Yuan Lei, who have worked with WCPF on wild camel conservation for over 16 years. They travelled up the Keriya River, which stretches 250 kilometers from the town of Keriya to the south of the Taklamakan Desert and the Kunlun Mountains. These mountains form the northern escarpment of Tibet, and border the vast Taklamakan sand dune desert – the largest in the world. The purpose of this investigation was to follow up a report that wild camels had been seen near the point where the Keriya River finally drains into the desert sands. We reached the end of the river having interviewed herdsmen and elders along the way and made our final investigations at the village of Dariya. After thorough research the conclusion we reached is that there are definitely herds of wild camels in the Taklamakan (possibly three) and their total number varies between 30 and 50. As the Xinjiang government had not allowed us to proceed further with domestic camels into the vast area of Taklamakan sand dunes because of our proximity to oil prospecting, we had to terminate out investigations at Dariya – but our findings are highly significant. These 30- 50 wild camels are outside the area of the Lop Nur Wild Camel National Nature Reserve which our UK registered charity, The Wild Camel Protection Foundation, helped the Chinese government to establish in 2002 after initiating four previous surveys. Our next task is to work out how best to protect them. It is impossible to create a new Reserve among shifting dunes of sand, so we are concentrating on awareness-raising locally and specific education programmes for local schools.

Stage Two:
John Hare and Yuan Lei travelled with 15 domestic camels and four Kazakh herdsmen on a 305 kilometre journey over two huge barriers of sand dunes from the Hongliugou valley to Lapeiquan Spring. The route we took had not been attempted before and we were slightly unnerved to find we were faced with sand dunes over 400 metres high, one of which took over 2 hours to cross. The complete journey lasted just under three weeks. We encountered extremely low temperatures and two sand storms of considerable intensity and our head Kazakh herdsman (one of four) had his right arm removed from its socket by a kick from a camel. The arm was manipulated by the other three herdsmen and went back into place with a resounding ‘plop’ amidst a grind of gristle. Another Kazakh suspended himself by one leg on a rope upside down for half an hour to cure as he said ‘a swollen knee.’

They reached the spring of Kum Su which we had ‘discovered’ in 1999 and which is a spring deep below the level of the desert sands and which contained not only fresh water but a naive population of wildlife – wildlife which had never experienced the machinations of man. On returning there in 2005 from the east, we discovered that the spring had been polluted by illegal gold miners using potassium cyanide. On John Hare’s return to England in 2005 he protested through various channels (the Chinese Embassy in London, the Ministry of the Environment in Beijing, the National Geographic and the RGS) to the Chinese Government who said they would clean up the pollution. It was a huge relief to find that they had kept their promise, cleaned up the spring and that the wildlife was returning. But of course they are no longer naive and are now only too aware of what a rapacious species ‘man’ is.
Lastly and by no means least, we spotted 128 wild camels out of a Chinese total population of 600 which by any standards is encouraging. However, we are concerned that very few two-year-old and three-year-old camels were sighted due, we believe, to an increase in the wolf population. 

Conclusions:
The Chinese provincial government in Xinjiang considers our expedition to have been a great success.
1. We confirmed that there were 30 – 50 wild camels in the Taklamakan desert.
2. We pioneered a previously unmarked route over huge sand dunes and proved it was negotiable.
3. We saw 128 wild camels
4. We discovered that Kum Su spring had been cleaned up by the Federal Government.

Head Office, School Farm, Benenden, Kent, TN17 4EU England

Tel: 44 (0) 1580 241132

Email: harecamel@aol.com

www.wildcamels.com

Hon. Life Patron: Dr. Jane Goodall D.B.E.

Patrons:

The Marchioness of Bute, Damon de Laszlo, Lulu Lytle,

Jane McMorland Hunter of Hafton,

Professor David Munro, The Dowager Marchioness of Reading, Lady Grant, Peter Hall, Professor Yuan Guoying. Gerald Kidd

November 2010 – Newsletter Number 25

Dear Wild Camel Supporter,

Our redoubtable Patron and wild camel supporter par excellence, Jane McMorland Hunter, is undertaking yet another run to raise funds for the wild camel. We have just received a letter from Jane who is attempting a run on a scale she has never undertaken before. Here in her own words:

Brighton Marathon for The Wild Camels

Firstly, a very big thank-you to those of you who have sent cheques supporting my run. The Marathon is on 10^th April so there is still plenty of time to sponsor me. (Please send cheques payable to the Wild Camel Protection Foundation to Jane McMorland Hunter, 19 Varna Road, London SW6 7LB or email me at janemcmorlandhunter@yahoo.co.uk). I am training in London, along the river Thames and have now completed my last long run, crossing over almost every bridge between Battersea and the Tower of London to make up the 20 miles!

Having never run more than 6 miles and just hit the wrong side of fifty, I am not aiming for a time in Brighton, just to complete the run, enjoy it, if possible, and raise as much money as I can for the Wild Camels. On the day I shall be wearing a bright yellow t-shirt with the Wild Camels on it so I hope I’ll stand out in the crowd. I usually run with a toy camel, but I think 26.2 miles might be a bit tiring for him so he will be cheering from the sidelines.                                                                                            Thank you for your support.

Jane McMorland Hunter

PLEASE DO SUPPORT JANE IF YOU CAN AS EVERY DONATION IS IMPORTANT FOR THE WILD CAMELS.

Expedition and Survey by Vehicle and Domestic Camel China

On April 7^th 2011, next week I set off on another expedition and field survey, with Chinese scientists, this time into the Taklimakan Desert and the Desert of Lop in north-west China. Prince Albert of Monaco’s Trust for Endangered Species is funding the expedition with additional financial support from the Transglobe Educational Trust (Ran Fiennes) and the Chinese Xinjiang Environmental Protection Bureau which manages the Lop Nur Wild Camel National Nature Reserve in Xinjiang the only area where the wild camel is protected in China.

Camels have been sighted in the Taklimakan Desert and one of the objectives of the expedition is to investigate these sightings and confirm whether they are wild camels or not. Then with domestic Bactrian camels we will investigate the situation at Kumsu spring, which members will remember is where we found the badly polluted spring in 2006, where illegal gold miners had used potassium cyanide, which had leached into the fresh water spring and surrounding vegetation. A naïve population of wild life, discovered by us on an earlier expedition in 1999, had it seemed vanished. I will be talking at the RGS on November 10^th  2011 about this expedition with details and photographs of what we find. 

Mongolia – Hunter Hall Wild Camel Conservation, Breeding and Research Centre 

When in 2002 WCPF decided it was important given the serious threats to the wild camels in both China and Mongolia to try and breed wild camels in a breeding centre in Mongolia it was completely unknown territory. It has never been done before and any undertaking was a major step for the Foundation. Having met with the Minister of the Mongolian Ministry of Nature and Environment and with his interest and strong support WCPF entered into an agreement with the Ministry, now called the MNET, as tourism has been added to this Ministry. The wild camels are a Mongolian Red Book listed species and therefore the NCES (National Commission for Endangered Species) a division of the MNET was also involved. The agreement between WCPF and MNET/NCES was signed in 2004 and gave us authority to establish a Wild Camel Conservation and Breeding Centre in Mongolia. The area selected was a site with a spring within the Buffer Zone of the Great Gobi Special Protected Area ‘A’ where the wild camels currently exist in the wild. This was so the habitat would be part of the same ecosystem for the wild camels which we hoped would be bred at this new Centre. Fences and wooden buildings for storing winter hay and for use as shelters for the pregnant wild camels were built and local staff employed. Seven years later the Breeding Centre is a success with pregnant wild camels there now as I write, due to give birth to more young wild camels in April/May this year. The numbers have increased, and an International Stud Book detailing the genetic history of the captive wild camels at the Centre has been established. Behavioral studies have been made and genetic samples tested by the Veterinary University in Vienna.

However, it was always part of our plan to encourage national and local stewardship. This rare and amazing animal lives in Mongolia and WCPF has worked hard to encourage the local Mongolians to care for the wild camel, now confirmed as a separate species over 700,000 years old. In 2010 the GGSPA’A’ Director had expressed an interest in the Park Administration taking a greater role in the management of the Breeding Centre. He discussed this with us again at length at the Hustai Workshop – ‘Developing a National Action Plan for Wild Camels in Mongolia’, in August/September 201I. This Director is well known to WCPF and was one of the Mongolian participants who attended the WCPF/ZSL 2006 training fortnight, for both Chinese and Mongolian wild camel scientists, on Jasper Evans ranch in Kenya. He has managed the Great Gobi Specially Protected Area ‘A’ for many years. So WCPF having given this very careful consideration and after very lengthy discussions with the GGSPA’A’ Director and the MNET decided to hand the day to day management and supervision of the Hunter Hall Wild Camel Breeding and Conservation Centre over to the GGSPA’A’ Administration. This handover will be managed within a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the GGSPA’A’, a MOU which has been approved by the MNET and WCPF. The MOU will have an agreed Management Plan and Budget and on this basis WCPF will continue to fund the costs of the Hunter Hall Wild Camel Breeding, Conservation and Research Centre.

WCPF is very pleased the Hunter Hall Wild Camel Breeding, Conservation and Research Centre has been a success and it is largely thanks to the HUGE support and encouragement we have had over the seven years from all our members. So THANK YOU for giving us the funds to do this and a very special THANK YOU to Peter Hall who gave us the seed money to establish the project and make it possible. In recognition of Peter’s contribution the Centre has been named the Hunter Hall Wild Camel Conservation, Breeding and Research Centre. We are handing over the management of a very successful project, a Breeding Centre which is very much up and running. The Park has plans for involving the local communities more and also local vets and even using the Centre to help train young vets. So there are some interesting future plans.

WCPF will continue to raise funds for the Breeding Centre budget and also where possible support and fund the work of the GGSPA’A’ in protecting this large desert ecosystem, as it is the only area in Mongolia where the wild camel is protected in its natural habitat and is under very serious threat from mining both legal and illegal. Also as a locally, in-country managed Breeding and Conservation Centre for a IUCN and Red Book listed species WCPF with the GGSPA’A’ Administration have access to more opportunities for applying for funding grants from international Foundations.

Fund raising is difficult in the present economic climate so all ideas for fund raising activities are welcome

Camel day in Warwickshire

Once again Joseph and Rebecca Fossett of Joseph’s Amazing Camels www.jacamels.co.uk have kindly offered to host a camel day in June to raise funds for the wild camel. Their generous support for this now Annual Wild Camel Event is much appreciated. There will be camel racing, camel polo, the ever-popular pig racing and numerous side shows. China (crockery not the country) smashing is always a winner. There is not a Football World Cup to reduce attendance as happened last year when England were playing on the same day, so please put this date in your diary and come and support this event if you can on Sunday June 19^th at 2.00 pm, the Old Farmhouse, White House Farm, Idlicote, Near Shipston-on Stour, Warwick (it is very clearly sign-posted).

Fund-raising in Kenya 

Plans are afoot to organise a fund-raising day in Kenya. Amanda Perrett, Jasper Evans daughter and a WCPF Trustee is planning a camel polo match (on dromedaries) and a race through a swamp, which borders the ranch where she lives in West Laikipea. More details shortly. I was staying on the ranch during part of January and February and some of the time was spent cooking-up fund-raising ideas. One or two members have already said they would be interested in participating in one way or another.

NEW WEBSITE

The new website is receiving lots of hits (and compliments). If you have not yet seen it do visit  www.wildcamels.com with additional information at <www.johnhare.org.uk>

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS

Most members have renewed their annual membership but if you haven’t, please send £20.00 (or its equivalent in foreign currency). You can pay by going to the website www.wildcamels.com using Paypal. If you are paying in US dollars or Euros you can also transfer funds direct into the WCPF’s Euro or US dollar accounts. Please email us and ask for the WCPF bank and transfer details.  Many of members pay by setting up a standing order with their bank account to the WCPF UK account. This keep costs down.

Very best wishes

John Hare

Wild Camel Protection Foundation

Head Office, School Farm, Benenden, Kent TN17 4EU

www.wildcamels.com