Even camels, the famous "ships of the desert," are now suffering and dying from extreme heat in Africa.
Ali Umer is a 40-year-old camel herder in Ethiopia. He owns around 500 camels. In the last month, eight of his young camels died because of the heat. "I can see my camels suffering," Umer said. He explained that the hot sand burns their skin and they get blisters on their feet.
For many years, people in North Africa and the Horn of Africa have kept camels because these animals can live through long droughts. Normally, camels can easily handle temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius. However, summers are becoming much hotter. In some parts of the Sahara Desert, temperatures now go above 50 degrees Celsius.
This extreme heat is dangerous. In Somalia, nearly half of camel-owning families have lost camels. In one northern region of Somalia, the camel death rate reached 73%. In north-eastern Kenya, veterinarian Hassan Nuya Guyo reported a 15% increase in camel deaths over the past two years.
Scientists say that North Africa is warming very fast. Between 1991 and 2025, the temperature rose by 0.43 degrees Celsius every ten years. This warming makes water dry up quickly, leaving less food and water for the camels. Experts warn that camels need more help, such as more water stations and better medical care, to survive the hotter summers.