“Our big thanks to the donors and organizers for what they do for Help In Suffering” says Dr. Abhinav Swami, Co-ordinator of the Camel Project in India. “People come to us with the hopes of receiving the best treatment for their camels in that remote area of sand dunes.”

This is what the camels received, as the HIS team reports about how your funds have gone to make possible the treatment of camels in Jaisalmer.

Jaisalmer, also called Golden City, is situated in the famous Thar Desert. The main tourist attraction here are the camel rides here, with the camels used by locals to entertain the tourists for a source of income. However, as this is a remote area, the camels they don’t have a decent veterinary facility.

During the last week of February 2024, as they have done for the last seven years, HIS organised a camel treatment camp in the sand dunes of Jaisalmer for poor camel owners.

The team consisted of Dr. Abhinav Swami, and four vet helpers Rajendar, Bhagwandas, Mohit and Prakash.

*Large numbers gather in the camp after a wait of one year*

With the camel owners already having been informed through pamphlets, newspapers and loudspeaker announcements, the camels started gathering in the early morning the next day before the start of the camp. After the formal inauguration, treatment began.

Camels were found with many ailments like lameness, mange, diarrhoea, colic, impaction, trypanosomiasis, urinary and respiratory problems and different types of wounds and various health issues.

In total, the camp was very successful with a total of 387 treatments provided to 287 camels:

Deworming medicines and humane nose pegs are given for better health and welfare of the camel

De-worming: 200

Nose pegs distributed: 300

Educational leaflets distributed:110

Emergencies cases attended: 2

Surgeries: 5

Community Training session: 2

Communication and training about compassionate handling and general welfare

Case-1: Treatment for swollen eye due to improper treatment

In the Jaisalmer sand dunes, there aren't many vets around, so people often resort to traditional treatments when their animals get sick. Unfortunately, some of these treatments can be harmful or even cruel. One day, a man named Riaz brought his camel to us. He said the camel's eye had been white for a few days, so he tried putting sand in it to help. But instead of getting better, the eye got worse. It was very painful and swollen, with lots of tears.

We carefully cleaned the camel's eye, applying eye drops and providing painkillers and antibiotics. The next day, there was a big improvement. The swelling and tears reduced, and the camel could open its eye again.

*Attending and emergency case by assist. Rajendar*

Case-2: Treatment of abscess under eye

Another owner, Saleem, brought his camel to us because it had an abscess under its eye that had been there for many days. The camel was also having trouble chewing.

Under sedation, we opened the abscess and cleaned it. Upon examination, we discovered a hard piece of feed material lodged inside the camel's mouth near its upper molar teeth. We removed it and gave the camel the necessary medication. We advised Saleem to keep the wound clean and to feed the camel soft food for a few days.