Rising heat pushes even Africa’s resilient camels past their limits, herders and scientists warn

Camel herders and scientists across Africa say that rising temperatures are now overwhelming animals long regarded as uniquely suited to desert extremes, with herds facing rising death tolls, illness, and shrinking grazing lands.

In the Afar region of northeastern Ethiopia, among the hottest and driest places on the planet, nomadic herders traditionally lead camel caravans loaded with salt across the desert. Ali Umer, a 40 year old herder from Semera who owns around 500 camels, said he watches his animals struggle under conditions he has never seen before. He described blistered feet, watery eyes, and burned skin among his herd, and said the sand itself now scorches the animals as they rest. Umer said he lost eight camel calves in a single month due to extreme heat, and added that even the wind no longer brings relief. He said the changes have become noticeably worse in recent years.

Umer’s account matches what researchers and veterinarians are documenting across the continent. Scientists and animal welfare specialists point to stress, fatigue, dehydration, and rising disease rates as direct consequences of extreme heat, while indirect effects such as water shortages, vegetation loss, and disappearing shade compound the damage.

North Africa and the Horn of Africa are home to roughly 80 percent of the world’s dromedary camel population, the single humped variety that farmers across the region have increasingly relied on because of its reputation for withstanding drought and heat. A 2025 study examining herder perceptions in southern Ethiopia found that climate variability had measurably harmed camel health, productivity, and reproduction.

The crisis appears especially acute in Somalia. Research published in June found that drought linked camel deaths have affected nearly 46 percent of camel owning households, based on a survey of almost 6,000 pastoral families. The mortality was heavily concentrated in northern areas, with the Sool region recording a death rate of nearly 73 percent.

Experts say extreme heat is the central driver behind the region’s drought conditions, though poor veterinary access and weak herd management make outcomes worse. Atmospheric scientists have linked the severe 2021 to 2022 drought to sustained high temperatures, which accelerate evaporation from soil and water sources and increase the rate at which plants release moisture into the air.

Veterinarians on the ground report a growing caseload tied to heat. Hassan Nuya Guyo, a veterinary officer in Marsabit county in northeastern Kenya near the Ethiopian border, said his clinic is seeing a sharp rise in hyperthermia cases that leave camels vulnerable to secondary infections. He said camel deaths in the county have risen more than 15 percent over the past two years due to heat and drought. Separate research from the Horn of Africa links heat stress to higher disease rates and falling milk yields among camel herds.

A similar pattern is emerging in North Africa. A study conducted in Algeria and published this year documented a marked rise in camel deaths during summer heatwaves, with researchers noting clear seasonal mortality spikes that they say call for targeted responses such as emergency water supplies, supplemental feeding, and closer disease monitoring during peak summer months.

The World Meteorological Organization says extreme heat events have become routine across North Africa, with heatwaves trending upward since 1981. Several countries in the region and the wider Middle East recorded temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius in 2024. The organization’s most recent State of the Climate in Africa report found that North Africa warmed faster than any other subregion on the continent between 1991 and 2025, at a rate of 0.43 degrees Celsius per decade.

Camels are naturally equipped to handle heat up to about 40 degrees Celsius. Their bodies allow internal temperature to fluctuate throughout the day, reducing the need to sweat, while concentrated urine, dry waste, and a thick protective coat help limit water loss and block solar radiation. But researchers say those adaptations are no longer enough. Mohammed Bengoumi, a camel health specialist with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization who works across North Africa, said summer temperatures in large parts of the Sahara now regularly exceed 50 degrees Celsius, raising the risk of severe heat stress, especially where vegetation, water, and shade are already scarce.

Abdelmadjid Chehma, a professor at the University of Ghardaia in Algeria who has conducted experimental research on desert camels, said sustained heat above 41 to 45 degrees Celsius damages the animals at a cellular level, weakening their immune systems and preventing white blood cells from repairing themselves. He said the resulting stress slows the animals’ metabolism as their bodies try to limit internal heat production, which in turn reduces appetite and causes lethargy, lower milk output, and reproductive problems.

Mohammed el Khasmi, an animal hydrobiology expert at the University of Casablanca in Morocco, said his team has documented a wide range of heat related harm in camels, including weight loss, inflammation, muscle and bone damage, kidney related chemical imbalances, and parasite driven infections.

The combined pressures are forcing some herding communities to abandon land they have used for generations. Daniel Gelan, a pastoralist development researcher at Vision University in Ethiopia, said herders in the country’s north are relocating permanently to southern areas with more reliable water and vegetation, rather than following the seasonal migration patterns of the past, because the northern region can no longer sustain camel herding.

The Horn of Africa is still recovering from a severe drought that lasted from 2020 to 2023 and is now facing another period of harsh conditions, according to the charity Oxfam, which reported that water prices in parts of Somalia have jumped by more than 2,000 percent.

Back in Afar, Umer said he fears disease could soon begin killing his adult camels as well. Chehma said that concern reflects a broader shift underway across the region, where an animal once seen as the ultimate survivor of desert life is now being pushed toward its own breaking point by the pace and severity of current heatwaves.