Camel first appeared in North America, but the population in this part of the world became extinct some 10,000 years ago.

Ancestors of modern camels migrated into Eurasia and gradually adapted to the arid environment of the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia.

Camels are still bred for their milk, meat, and hair nowadays, although, in some areas, people also use them for transportation, for example, in the Great Indian Desert.

Much like other domesticated animals, camels can be firmly attached to their handlers/owners; the hoofed and humped mammals have a great memory, respond to music, and mourn the deceased.

Their willingness to love is only matched by their ability to hate. 

To the owners, tender love and care come with tremendous rewards.

Cruelty to camel comes with equally great vengeful aggression. One of the cruelest cases of camel attacks happened about five years ago in the northwestern side of India.

A camel bit off and severed the head of its owner, seemingly out of anger, because the animal had been tied and exposed to unbearable heat all day. The rage continued for six long hours.

10 /10 Like A Rag Doll

In the Great Indian Desert, where the temperature can be scorching hot on a regular day, even a camel – an animal adapted to an arid environment and known for its immense strength – might not be able to keep its head cool.

On May 21, 2016, a local man named Urjaram left his camel with its legs tied while hosting some guests at his house.

When he remembered about it and tried to take the restraint off, the camel lifted him by the neck and threw him down. It then chewed his body and severed his head.

9 /10 Heat Wave

The camel maintained aggressive behavior until 25 men joined the effort to calm the animal down. Eventually, after six hours of struggling, the animal calmed down.

The attack took place in the city of Phalodi, located in the state of Rajasthan, India.

The previous day the town registered an average temperature of 51-degree Celsius (123-degree Fahrenheit), the highest since record-keeping began.

Although increasing heat and intense sunshine are typical weeks before the monsoon season, a temperature higher than 50°C is unusual.



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8 /10 Days Of Burning Temp

An eyewitness of the attack, Murari Lal Thanvi, shared the same story about the heat.

On Friday, he claimed to have found himself struggling to stay outdoor due to the high temperature. When he took out his mobile phone to take some pictures, the phone stopped working after about 25 minutes.

He could only turn it back on after putting a wet cloth on it. India declares a heatwave when the temperature exceeds 45°C, and regarding the condition in Phalodi, the weather office had already issued a “severe heat wave” warning.

7 /10 All Across India

High heat struck not only the state of Rajasthan where the camel attack happened but all across India. In the southern states like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the heatwave claimed dozens of lives.

In Gujarat, online videos showed how the heat melted tarred roads. People who walked outdoors lost their shoes and sandals because the rubber soles became stuck in the tarmac surface.

They could only hope that monsoon would arrive soon enough, usually in mid-June, for good relief.

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6 /10 Not An Isolated Case

The specifics of the Urjaram case in Rajasthan, including the heat and severed head, might be the only of such a case ever recorded, but camel attacks, in general, are not that uncommon.

There have been many stories from all over the world about dangerous camels.

A man in Mexico was kicked and smothered by a camel in his animal sanctuary; a Kazakhstan woman was killed by a camel she had raised from infancy; another woman from Australia, who had received a ten-month-old camel as a birthday gift, was straddled to death by the pet.

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5 /10 Another Attack In India

What happened in Phalodi in May 2016 was not even the only attack in India.

Years ago, a drunk man came across a camel tied near a footpath. Something about the man or what he did anger the animal, which bit the man’s head off. The camel also attacked a bystander who tried to help.

When the owner took the camel home, he too was attacked; in fact, the animal severed the owner’s arm.

According to the locals, the aggression surfaced because it was mating season, and there was no female camel around.

4 /10 Aggressive Animal

Male camels are aggressive by nature. Once castrated, they become much more docile.

Young camels are often in their most dangerous stage of growth. Without any training, they have no respect for personal space and will hurt other animals and humans if not restrained.

The size of the young camel, combined with the lack of training and castration, makes it a serious threat to safety.

Even playful intention can trigger aggression; for example, throwing a big rubber ball for the camel to kick may sound like fun, but it only teaches the animal to strike with reasonable accuracy.

3 /10 Quick Growth

A baby camel is still leaning on its mother, but at this point, it has already acquired basic skills to become more independent.

A camel is as pretty as precious stuffed dolls at age two to three, playful yet safe enough to be around people.

In another year, the animal has grown to be a confident animal ready to be trained. Many American “pet camel” owners often place thick blankets on the animals to make them feel accustomed to burdens.

My six-year-old camel is considered mature and ready to tackle physically demanding works like hauling cargo or pulling carts.

2 /10 Camel Feels The Soul

According to Dr. Abdul Raziq Kakar, an animal advocate and well-respected veterinarian in Pakistan, camels are so sensitive they can feel the soul of the owners or anybody else around.

Camels, especially males, can be sad and lonely during mating seasons.

The animals are aware of bad intentions, so if someone wants to punish or hurt it, the aggression seems to surface out of nowhere.

During that hot day in Phalodi, keeping a camel tied outdoor certainly was a harsh punishment. Some would say Urjaram had abused the animal.

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1 /10 Heavyweight Mammal

Some villagers revealed that Urjaram had been previously attacked in the past as well.

They also shared stories of how soldiers patrolling the India-Pakistan border in the state of Rajasthan fell victims to irritable camels.

During sweltering days, some camels tried to throw officers off their backs while rushing to shade.

Since most camels can weigh between 600 to 1,000kg and stretch to 3 meters long, any attack is potentially fatal. 

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