Bactrian Camel

© John Hare
Amazing Species: Bactrian Camel
The Bactrian Camel, Camelus ferus, is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red
List of Threatened Species™. Restricted to the Gobi and Gashun Gobi deserts of northwest
China and Mongolia, it is one of the rarest large mammals on Earth (currently numbering
fewer than 1,500 individuals).
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Bactrian Camels exist in only a few highly fragmented populations and are severely
threatened by hybridization with the domesticated form of the species Camelus bactrianus,
hunting for subsistence use and habitat loss due to mining and associated industrial
development. Prolonged periods of drought reduce the availability of water points (oases),
increasing the vulnerability of Bactrian Camel herds to predation by wolves, as well as
increasing competition with domestic livestock.
As well as the establishment of nature reserves in China and Mongolia, the captive breeding
programme at Zakhyn Us Breeding Centre in Mongolia has been a crucial step towards
restoring the remnant herds of Bactrian Camel in The Great Gobi Specially Protected Area
“A”. The species is also protected under Appendix I of the Convention on the Conservation
of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).
The production of the IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species™ is made possible
through the IUCN Red List Partnership.