National Research Centre On Camel

Camel-breeding Farm, officially called the National Research Centre on Camel, is a government owned research and camel breeding centre. This project was established on 5thJuly 1984 and aims are protecting and studying the camel specie while giving the locals a helping hand in being able to provide for the care and maintenance of this desert animal. This animal centre is open to tourists during the afternoon time when a herd of camels return from the desert. Here, the visitors can also see different breeds of camels and learn about their behaviour. Facilities of camel riding and safari are available here. Another famous attraction here is the camel milk parlour that sells milk products like ice-cream, and other hot and cold beverages.

History of Camel Breeding Farm
Camels are indispensable as a mode of transportation, a reservoir of fatty tissue and can go on without water for long periods of time along with many other utilities which are subject to continuous social and economic changes. Since time immemorial, camels have known to play a significant role in the civil law and order, battles and defences of the country. In the First and Second World Wars, the Bikaner Camel Corps, an erstwhile army regiment that was initially raised as the Ganga Risala unit operated under the Imperial Service Troops and served along with the British Indian Army. Currently, the Camel Corps constitute an important wing of the Border Security Force of Indian Para-Military Services.

Thus, considering the importance of camel in the socio-economic development of arid and semi-arid zones, the Government of India established a Project Directorate on Camel at Bikaner on 5th July, 1984 under the aegis of Indian Council of Agricultural Research which was upgraded to National Research Centre on Camel on September 20th, 1995. This centre which is also known as the Camel Breeding Farm mainly focuses on the basic and applied research on one humped camel and focuses on issues relating to the double humped camel in the cold desert of Nubra Valley of Ladakh region.

Tourism in Camel Breeding Farm
The Camel Breeding Farm of Bikaner offers a unique experience to the tourist and shows why the city of Bikaner is often referred to as the camel country as the camels form an integral part of the city’s culture. The Camel Breeding Farm also has a museum that displays the history of the centre, its origin, recent initiatives and developments. There are around 400 camels at the Camel Breeding Farm along with an on-site camel milk parlour, where the tourists can enjoy ice-creams made of camel’s milk and take rides on its back. This government managed farm is one of the largest Camel Breeding Farms in Asia and raises the finest riding camels in the world.

Other than the breeding farm there is also the annual camel festival which reflects the long association of the animal with the dwellers. This is one festival where one can witness the Ship of the Desert dressed up in colourful attires and is an ideal event for those who wish to witness Rajasthan in its full colourful glory.