Extreme Heat Kills Africa's Camels, With 73% Mortality in Somalia's Sool
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jul 22
Extreme Heat Kills Africa's Camels, With 73% Mortality in Somalia's Sool
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jul 22
Summary
Eight camel calves died in one month for one herder in Ethiopia's Afar region, where pastoralists say rising heat is now burning animals' skin, dehydrating them and leaving them vulnerable to disease.
Research and veterinarians across the Horn and North Africa say temperatures above camels' comfort range—often beyond 41C to 45C, and above 50C in some areas—are driving heat stress, lower milk yields, reproductive problems and more deaths.
Somalia shows the sharpest toll: a June study of nearly 6,000 pastoral households found drought-related camel mortality hit almost 46% of camel-owning households, with Sool nearing 73%.
The pressure is reshaping herding itself, with Ethiopian experts saying some camel keepers are abandoning the north for the south permanently as water, vegetation and shade disappear.
North Africa is warming fastest in Africa at 0.43C per decade since 1991, the WMO says, turning an animal long seen as the desert's last line of defense into a climate casualty.
Can a way of life that thrived for millennia survive a climate that now kills even its camels?
As the 'ships of the desert' die from heat, are ancient pastoralist cultures facing extinction too?
Camel Catastrophe: 2026 Drought Drives Record Deaths and Humanitarian Crisis in the Horn of Africa
Overview
In 2026, the Horn of Africa faces an unprecedented camel mortality crisis, posing a severe threat to livelihoods and regional stability. The crisis is widespread, with countries like Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda experiencing similar challenges. In Somalia, the situation is especially dire due to state fragility and ongoing conflict. The main drivers are prolonged and intense drought, worsened by extreme temperatures, which have overwhelmed existing drought management systems. The long duration of these harsh conditions has led to staggering camel losses, raising urgent questions about the region’s ability to cope with future climate shocks.