The cogs behind the camels at Camelicious farm

A typical family setup usually conjures up images of a husband, wife and kids, but during an early morning visit to Dubai’s Camelicious Camel farm, it’s evident that this is a different kind of family — one where man and animal work together as one.

Dr Jutka Juhasz enjoys a moment with a camel. -KT photos by Leslie Pableo

Come 5.30am most mornings, many of us are still struggling to rise from a peaceful night’s slumber, but down at the Emirates Industry for Camel Milk and Products’ (EICMP) Camelicious farm, the cogs are in full motion as the 150 workers and 3,700 camels begin their daily routine of milking, feeding and exercising.

And, as the old proverb suggests, the early bird really does catch the worm at this farm, although its founders, veterinarians Dr Jutka Juhasz and Dr Peter Nagy, tell Khaleej Times they have their own little twist on the saying: “In this region, camel milk is referred to as the gold of the desert, so we say ‘whoever wakes up early catches the gold’.”

As we make our way over to the milking station, the sun continues to rise above us, blanketing the farm in a warm, orange haze, and the sense of calmness is soothing.

Despite a uniformed line of camels and farm hands consuming the area, it’s a far cry from the chicken factory mayhem one may expect, and work is being carried out with clockwork precision.

As each worker prepares the camels for milking, supervisor Mohammad Farhan says the key to running such a smooth and peaceful operation is mutual respect.

“For me, camels are like women. You need to treat them well, talk to them. Do that, and they will respect you,” he says, adding that many of the camels have been named personally by the farm hands.

From 5am till 8.30am daily, the milking process sees each worker begin by cleaning each of the camels’ four teats using a dry tissue. Suction cups are then attached to each teat in order to suckle the milk and each camel only remains stationary for between 3-6 minutes before being released to join the rest of its herd.

Camels being milked at the Camelicious farm along Umm Nahad Road in Dubai.

Churning out more than 4,000 litres of milk a day, up to 600 camels clock in and out of the milking station each morning, with each producing about seven litres of milk, on average, per day.

Admitting that he has grown quite attached to the camels, Farhan says some have been at the farm since he started back in 2006. “I have seen them grow from babies to adults,” he says, while turning to one he affectionately calls ‘Jameela’ before patting her on the head.

A stable team

Brought to the farm by his uncle who worked for Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL), Farhan is one of the farm’s original team members.

Like many who came to work on the farm, Pakistan-born Farhan arrived with barely a word of English to his name, and started out as a cleaner.

“Most of the farm hands came to us at a young age with a very basic skill-set, but there were so many advantages to this,” Peter says. “Every process you see here, we taught them, from their language skills, right up to their computer skills. We admire them all so much and their knowledge of the farm is ten-fold.”

During the short walk over to the feeding sheds, one thing is apparent. Space is not an issue on this farm and across the sandy, desert floors, a number of camels running around an open pen can be spotted. Freedom is not an issue either.

When asked about the exact size of the farm, both Jutka and Peter say it is hard to quantify as the area keeps expanding. “In terms of specifics, we couldn’t tell you, but we have a 4.5km running track, numerous large scale pens, a maternity section for mothers and babies, a bull pen, a veterinary station, the list really goes on.”

Family affair

Roaming from station to station, I see humans and mammals interact peacefully together. With the farm depicting an image of one big family, a quick chat with Abdul Nasser confirms this description quite literally.

India-born Nasser, who is one of the main supervisors at Camelicious, works side by side with two of his brothers, one of whom is a veterinarian assistant, and the other a milking assistant.

Another is Bangladeshi Fakhrul Islam. He has been at the farm for more than eight years is one of three from his family based on site. Like Farhan, Islam started out as a cleaner, but now takes up the position of data entry assistant in the hospital’s laboratory.

With a brother working in the laboratory and a nephew working outside, a constantly-smiling Islam says he is thankful for the opportunities he has been given since arriving in 2006. “I love it a lot here. The doctors have treated me well and I have learnt a lot from them.”

With all workers living on site — with accommodation, food and water, and a built in mosque provided for all — it is obvious why generations of the same family choose to work here, as it is a place where mutual respect is given to all, including the camels.

A moment captured

At the bull-pen where large males dominate their own individuals pens, one bull spots Jutka and walks towards her before the two embrace in a rare moment of affection between man and animal.

And despite their over-awing size, Jutka says people should not fear these creatures. “Yes, they are bulls, and yes, they are big, but it’s just about handling them. They can be a little rough but that is just their nature.”

And she says if humans can learn one lesson from these creatures, it is one worthwhile. “Different breeds interact with each other at this farm. There is no racism in camels. Something we could all take heed of I think.”

kelly@khaleejtimes.com