Camel Lids
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| William and Kukuman milking one of the camels |
Max says, “At the age of twenty-two, the camels and the
conservation work that goes on at Loisaba is an integral part of my life and
future. I need to shape my thinking about monetising conservation and livestock
production in a way that is sustainable in the long term and continues to
protect the ecology of Loisaba and our surroundings. The focus of my university
study will be to create a much more efficient system of milk production which
means initially gathering much more accurate and detailed information about the
camels and analysing the effects of any changes that we make. I’ll be looking
at different feeds and supplements, better handling procedures, and using metal
bomas instead of the current tradition thorn enclosures which can cause more
injuries and infections. In particular we are looking at the elimination of
ear-notching as a practice and have begun to put numbered collars on our
milkers to record some information about them.”
“Usually, there are only about twenty five camels that are in milk at one time and the average daily yield per camel is about two litres. There is a great variation but a camel may be milked for up to a year after calving but the daily yield usually decreases gradually.”
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| Benson and Ekomwa sieving the milk. Credit: Moses Lemoisa |
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| It's a short journey by wheelbarrow from the boma to headquarters. Credit: Moses Lemois |
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| Second sieving Credit: Moses Lemoisa |
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| Weighing in. Credit: Moses Lemoisa |
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| Into the fridge Credit: Moses Lemoisa |
Once the camels are milked, the milk is poured into a big churn which can carry 50-60 litres. The milk is sieved through a muslin cloth and sieve approved by the dairy. The milk is taken immediately to Headquarters, out of the sun, and is sieved again, weighed and put it into temperature-controlled fridges. William and the team keep a record of the yield.
Max reports, “The milk is usually taken to Nanyuki on a
Thursday, but occasionally, the volume of milk dictates that an additional car
needs to go into town; there are always other errands and orders to fulfil
while the driver is there.”
Loisaba supplies a company called Northern Goodness which is
owned by Kaberia Kamencu. Kaberia’s own story is a fascinating one as
originally he was a banker who left the finance industry to become an
entrepreneur. At the time that his first daughter was born, three years ago, he
was actually involved in logging for timber.
“My daughter was diagnosed as being lactose intolerant, and
back then I had no idea what that even meant. I started to do my research and
was told that I needed to find some camel milk instead. I tried to find the
camel dairy in Nanyuki and discovered that the business was limping along.
Unfortunately they wouldn’t sell it to me but I was able to start up my own
dairy, hire some very competent staff, and source the milk that we needed.”
He goes on to say, “I now take two to three thousand litres of milk per month from two main suppliers, Lolldaiga and Loisaba Conservancies, and the business is expanding all the time. I think there will be an explosion of demand for camel milk which is already becoming very popular in China and Asia, and I am looking at supplying powdered milk – which has the advantage of a very long shelf life – to Europe and the UK. Kenyan camel milk can only be produced naturally, allowing the camels to browse. As a result the milk tastes really good and is very nutritious. All of our milk is lightly pasteurised so that it fulfils Kenyan regulations.”
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| Credit: Moses Lemoisa |
Any producer has to be very careful about the claims that are made about his products in different countries where different food regulations apply. Camel milk is thought to have many benefits, especially when compared to cow’s milk, and these are worth exploring. It is higher in vitamins B and C, calcium, iron and potassium than cow’s milk. Christina Adams, for the US, is a particular advocate of camel’s milk and writes all about it in her book, Camel Crazy[i]. Healthline - lists six benefits of camel milk including the fact that it is lower in saturated fats than cow’s milk and also contained healthy fats; it seems to be tolerated better by those who are lactose intolerant; is useful in the treatment of rotavirus which causes diarrhea in children; can lower blood sugar and improve insulin sensitivity in people with both types of diabetes; boosts immunity; and may help with brain conditions: Christina is adamant that it helped her autistic son.
[i]
Camel Crazy, A Quest for Miracles in the Mysterious World of Camels, Christina
Adams, New World Library, 2019
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