U.K. Zoo Welcomes First Baby Camel in More Than 8 Years
The Whipsnade Zoo in the United Kingdom made a big announcement recently. They welcomed the first baby camel born there in eight years, a Bactrian camel calf whom they named Sally. ABC News shared a video of the adorable little one on Wednesday, May 8th.
Watch as Sally gets used to her new legs...her adorable tippy taps will make you smile! Her mom, 12-year-old Izzy is so gentle with the calf and checks on her throughout the video.
Sally is just too cute! Her little hops were adorable! Izzy and four-year-old dad Oakley welcomed Sally on April 11th after a 13-month pregnancy. The family is doing well, and Sally is getting used to her new world. ABC News commenters all agreed that Sally's a cutie. One commenter also pointed out, "All that sass!"
Related: Video of Mama Camel Bonding With Her New Rainbow Baby Brings Us to Tears
More About Sally and Bactrian Camels
A Whipsnade zookeeper shared more information about the baby camel and said that Sally "began walking, quite wobbly, within hours of being born." He also added, "Sally has very long, gangly legs which she’s still getting to grips with." He pointed out that Izzy was doing a great job as a new mom, "Despite their reputation for being grumpy, camels are actually very patient, nurturing parents and it’s been great for us to see first-time mum Izzy attentively caring for her newborn daughter."
One of the things I noticed about Sally is that she doesn't have the distinctive humps that her mom has. According to A to Z Animals, baby camels are born without humps, "Baby camels must gain weight before they can pack the pounds into their humps, which is why they are born without them." I always thought that camels carried water in those humps, but that's a myth, "camels’ humps aren’t filled with water at all. Instead, they are used to store fat. These fat stores can be used to keep the animal cool or can be converted into calories or water when needed." Sally will get her humps by the time she is a year old.
Of course, there's always a negative comment or two when news is shared about zoo animals. @salmonallegations said, "It’s one thing to bring a motherless baby animal into a conservatory, but to celebrate its baby that’s going to be trapped for life?! You better ABC your way out of my feed." Sally's birth is good news for the zoo. The zookeeper explained that domestic Bactrian camels "act as an ambassador species for their critically endangered ‘cousins’ the wild camel (Camelus ferus) in Mongolia and China."
The critically endangered camels' number are dwindling due to hunting, lack of water, and because they are predators of the grey wolf. As of today, there are only 950 wild camels left in the deserts of Mongolia and China. Fortunately, the conservation charity behind the Whipsnade Zoo (ZSL) is working to protect wildlife in Mongolia, including the Gobi Desert where there are only 450 wild camels. This is great news for conservation efforts!
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