National Wire About Nigerians, Nigerian Business and Other Stories
Dayo Emmanuel
Beef consumers in Lagos have expressed worry over the sight of camels at the Agege, Lagos abattoir. About seven camels were on Monday seen at the abattoir suspected to be awaiting slaughter along with several cows, goats and rams.
Sampling opinion via the social media, some Lagos residents expressed worry saying they may not know how to differentiate between camels and beef as they are skeptical about buying camel instead of beef.
Although some are not disturbed with the sight of camels at the abattoir. “I’m still surprised they are in Lagos. There is nothing wrong with meat of camel,” Bunmi Badmus, a journalist commented on Facebook. Badmus, a Muslim faithful added that, “Going by Islam, in fact it comes first and highly recommended during salah. But because we don’t find it in this part, then Ram becomes the next best.”
Another Nigerian who is not perturbed is Osato Aghimien. “Is there something wrong with camel meat? My only grouse will be if it is being passed off as cow meat. But if the consumers know they are purchasing and they are okay with it that should not be a problem.”
Signifying that camels are not new at the abattoir, another respondent, Adebowale Aluko said, “I was there at the abattoir last week and I saw it, they even asked me if I wanted to buy camel meat or beef,”
Another worry is the possible extinction of camels which may soon be listed among the endangered species should Nigerians find delicacy in camel.
Tayo Olanipekun is a journalist and conservationist who confirmed that camels don’t reproduce like chicken which Nigerians eat daily.
“If the gestation period of camel is no longer than that of a cow since it doesn’t have more than one litter at once, then no cause for alarm.” “There shouldn’t be any cause for alarm, really, if beef eaters know it is camel meat on display. You sure know the number of cows slaughtered daily in Lagos, they are in the thousands, yet cows are not endangered,” Olanipekin commented.
With gestation period of 13-14 months, with Lagos population of over 15 million, if camels become favourites in the metropolis, the development would also deplete the population of camels used as beast of burden in the far north.
Camel is often eaten in countries such as Somalia where the meat is called Hilib geyl. It is also eaten in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Mauritania and a few other cultures.
According to Wikipedia, the camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as “humps” on its back. The three surviving species of camel are the dromedary, or one-humped camel (C. dromedarius), which inhabits the Middle East and the Horn of Africa; the Bactrian, or two-humped camel (C. bactrianus), which inhabits Central Asia; and the critically endangered wild Bactrian camel (C. ferus) that has limited populations in remote areas of northwest China and Mongolia. Bactrian camels take their name from the historical Bactria region of Central Asia.
Additionally one other species of camel in the separate genus Camelops, C. hesternus lived in western North America and became extinct when humans entered the continent at the end of the Pleistocene. Both the dromedary and the Bactrian camels have been domesticated; they provide milk, meat, hair for textiles or goods such as felted pouches, and are working animals with tasks ranging from human transport to bearing loads.
