Conservation
The Bactrian camel was identified as one of the top ten "focal species" in 2007 by the Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) project, which prioritises unique and threatened species for conservation. Fewer than a thousand (approximately 600 individuals) are thought to survive in the wild and the population is decreasing. The immediate threats faced by the species are all human related. Firstly, habitat loss has been high to development for mining and industrial complexes. Due to increasing human populations, wild camels are forced to share food and water sources with introduced domestic stock and are thus sometimes shot by farmers. Included in this stock is domesticated Bactrians, who freely mate with wild individuals. This has led to a concern of a loss of genetically distinct wild Bactrian camel.
Facilitated by the Wild Camel Protection Foundation (WCPF), two wildlife preserves were founded by the governments of Mongolia and China to protect the Gobi desert, the ‘Great Gobi Reserve A’ in Mongolia in 1982, and the Arjin Shan Lop Nur Nature Reserve in China in 2000. A small captive breeding program has also been started, with the ultimate goal of reintroduction.
Read more about this topic: Bactrian Camel
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