Even camels can no longer endure the extreme heat in Africa's deserts: 'They get blisters on their paws and lose their fur'

Camels are known as the "ships of the desert," but even these resilient animals are not escaping the effects of increasingly higher temperatures in Africa.

The Afar region in northeastern Ethiopia is one of the hottest and driest places on the planet. There, nomads lead camel caravans that transport salt across the desert.

"I see my camels suffering from the extreme heat," Ali Umer, a camel herder from the city of Semera in Afar, told the BBC.

"They get blisters on their feet, their eyes water, and the scorching sand burns their skin and causes their hair to fall out when they sit down," said Umer, 40, who owns around 500 camels. "Just last month, I lost eight camel calves because of the extreme heat. The situation has become much more intense and difficult."

"Even the wind, which used to bring a little coolness, now comes hot," he said, adding that he has noticed these drastic temperature changes in recent years.

Umer is not alone in reporting this. Scientists, animal welfare professionals and various studies point to stress, exhaustion, dehydration and increased incidence of disease as direct effects of extreme heat.

Higher temperatures also affect camels indirectly by causing water scarcity, reduced vegetation and diminishing shaded areas.

North Africa and the region known as the Horn of Africa account for around 80% of the world's largest population of dromedaries, camels with a single hump.

Over the years, farmers and livestock herders in these regions have taken to raising these animals because of their resilience to intense heat and droughts.

But a study published in 2025, based on the perceptions of camel herders in southern Ethiopia, showed that high temperatures and climate variability have been harming the health of camel herds.

"Respondents reported that climate change and climate variability affected the health, productivity and reproductive capacity of camels," the study stated.

In neighboring Somalia, the situation appears to be even more severe. A study published in June showed that drought-related camel mortality has become a widespread crisis, affecting nearly 46% of households that raise these animals.

The research surveyed nearly 6,000 pastoral families and found that mortality is concentrated in the country's northern regions. In Sool, the rate reached nearly 73%, described by researchers as "alarming."

According to experts, extreme heat is the primary driver of drought in the region, although other factors, such as inadequate veterinary services and poor animal management, worsen the situation.

An analysis conducted by atmospheric science researchers concluded that high temperatures were the main factor behind the 2021 and 2022 drought in the region. This is because intense heat causes water in the soil and bodies of water to evaporate more rapidly, while plants also release more water into the atmosphere in the form of vapor.

Veterinarians say they are treating an increasing number of sick camels and recording more deaths caused by extreme heat and drought.

"We are seeing a significant increase in cases of hyperthermia in camels, which makes them more susceptible to various infections," said veterinarian Hassan Nuya Guyo, from Marsabit County in northeastern Kenya, on the border with Ethiopia.

"In the last two years, we have recorded an increase of more than 15% in camel deaths in our county due to extreme heat," said Guyo.

Another study conducted in the Horn of Africa concluded that the increased incidence of disease among camels and reduced milk production are also among the effects of climate change, including heat stress.

A similar situation is occurring in North Africa. A study conducted in Algeria and published this year showed a significant increase in camel mortality during summer heat waves.

"The analysis of time series reveals significant seasonal patterns of mortality, highlighting the need for targeted interventions during periods of highest risk, such as peak summer months, including measures such as strategic water provision, supplemental feeding and enhanced disease monitoring," the study stated.

The WMO (World Meteorological Organization) states that extreme heat episodes have become a frequent phenomenon in several North African countries, where heat waves have been showing an upward trend since 1981.

According to the WMO, several countries in the region and in the Middle East recorded temperatures above 50°C in 2024.

The WMO's State of the Climate in Africa 2025 report points out that North Africa was the most rapidly warming sub-region among the six analyzed, with an average increase of 0.43°C per decade between 1991 and 2025.

Experts say that camels can tolerate temperatures of up to around 40°C relatively well, thanks mainly to their ability to allow their own body temperature to vary by a few degrees throughout the day in order to adapt to the ambient heat.

This allows them to avoid sweating, and together with the production of concentrated urine and dry feces, reduces water loss. In addition, their thick coat helps protect them from solar radiation.

"But camels can also suffer heat stress when temperatures exceed their comfort range," said Mohammed Bengoumi, a scientist at the UN (United Nations) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) who specializes in the health of these animals and works in North Africa.

"In many parts of the Sahara, summer temperatures frequently exceed 50°C, increasing the risk of severe heat stress, especially when this is accompanied by reduced vegetation cover, water scarcity and a lack of shaded areas," said Bengoumi.

Professor Abdelmadjid Chehma, of the University of Ghardaia in Algeria, who has conducted experimental research with camels in the Sahara Desert, reaches the same conclusion: "Our studies show that prolonged exposure to temperatures between 41°C and 45°C, during the day and night, directly affects the cells of these animals."

"The immune system is compromised because these temperatures damage white blood cells and other cells due to stress; they [the cells] have difficulty repairing themselves and end up self-destructing," said Chehma.

In camels, this means that when heat stress sets in, the metabolism slows down to reduce internal heat production. As a result, the animals begin to consume far less food, becoming lethargic and experiencing general fatigue.

This also causes a drop in milk production and reproductive disorders.

Mohammed el Khasmi, professor at the University of Casablanca in Morocco and specialist in animal hydrobiology, lists a series of effects of thermal stress observed by him and his team in camels.

Among them are weight loss, inflammation, muscular and bone diseases, chemical imbalances caused by kidney malfunction, and infectious diseases caused by parasites, said Khasmi.

According to experts, although extreme heat is the main cause of the problem, its effects are compounded when other factors are added, such as the loss of vegetation and water sources, the scarcity of shaded areas, and the lack of adequate veterinary services.

For this reason, many herders in Ethiopia have been moving their camels from the north of the country, where these animals were traditionally raised, to the south, where there is still a relatively greater availability of water and vegetation, experts say.

"And this is not the seasonal movement of pastoralists," said Daniel Gelan, professor at Vision University in Ethiopia and researcher in pastoral development.

"They are leaving the north of the country permanently because extreme heat and drought have made camel herding in the region unviable," said Gelan.

The Horn of Africa is still recovering from the longest and most severe drought on record, which lasted from 2020 to 2023. But it now faces a new period of severe drought, according to the humanitarian organization Oxfam.

The organization states that in some parts of Somalia, the price of water has increased by more than 2,000% due to the drought.

Umer, the camel herder from Afar, said he fears that a disease outbreak could begin killing his adult animals at any moment.

According to Professor Chehma from the University of Ghardaia, the concern is justified.

"Although camels remain the last line of defense for pastoralists against the hardships of the desert, the unprecedented intensity of current heat waves directly threatens their vital functions, transforming a historically resilient animal into yet another victim of climate change," said Chehma.