By Nangamso Mabindla
7 May 2004

EAST London's Queen's Park Zoo has acquired two white camels from the nearby Python Park in a swap for two of their own lions.

At two-and-a-half metres tall and weighing just over 400kgs each, Joggie and Bruno are slowly settling into their new home before they are re-trained to carry visitors.

"As you can see now, they're not very active. We are looking to make people want to come and view the camels because they're such a fascination," says curator Nico Roux. He is hoping the two will become one of the zoo's biggest attractions.

According to Roux the two male camels originated from North Africa and Arabia. "You'll notice they have one hump, showing they are Arabian camels. There they're used for farming or travelling across the desert."

"They're easy to train, in fact they have been used for this purpose, but it's been two years since people last rode them," said Roux, adding that they will have to go through a refresher course, including the correct verbal instructions, before they're back in business.

Despite their massive size these camels are cheap to feed as they live on leaves and Lucerne, which the zoo has in abundance.

Explaining why camels can go between five and seven days with little or no food and water, Roux says camels, unlike humans, do not pant, and can lose a quarter of their body weight without impairing their normal functions.

"They can raise their body temperature tolerance levels before perspiring, thereby conserving body fluids and avoiding unnecessary water loss," says Roux. "These creatures are not expensive to have around," he adds with a wry smile. As for their life span: the zoo has its work cut out, as these animals live up to 60 years and Joggie and Bruno are just 17.

For more information, call (043) 722-1171 or visit them at the Queen's Park Zoo in Beaconsfield Road, East London.