How the camel milk trend may save the camels

As the camel population falls drastically in India, increasing the demand for its milk products can help revive their numbers and the livelihoods of their herders

Camel milk inspires hope for herders

Camel milk, found to be a healthier option for people with diabetes and those with food allergies, can be the source of sustenance for camel rearers.

Can Camel Milk Save India’s Nomadic Raikas?

Our lady of the camels

Ilse Köhler-Rollefson’s great affection for the camel has led her to work tirelessly with the Raikas, a Rajasthani herding community

The Raikas of Rajasthan

This camel-herding community of Rajasthan faces restrictive grazing laws, social hostility and falling incomes

How a German Vet’s Love for Camels is Saving a Unique Community in Rajasthan

The shifting sands of camel herders

In 18 years, Rajasthan’s camel population has dropped from seven lakh to two lakh. The people most impacted are the Raika, the traditional camel rearers.

Herders and their animals also represent important bio-cultural heritage for all humankind

A veterinary surgeon from the German town of Ober-Ramstadt, Ilse Köhler-Rollefson spends half of each year in a remote part of India’s Thar Desert where she has become a leading advocate of a struggling community of camel herders.

Camel dairying: The solution to rescuing Rajasthan’s state animal

It has been a year since the Rajasthan Camel (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Bill, 2015, was passed by the state Legislative Assemblyon March 27.

The Raika people have been herding camels in Rajasthan for centuries. But their traditional way of life is now under threat. A German NGO is helping Raika sustain their livelihood.

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Indefatigable Camel Crusader

Award-winning German veterinarian Dr Ilse Kohler-Rollefson’s visit to Rajasthan in the early nineties was a godsend to the nomadic camel herding communities of Rajasthan, or the Raika, though little did they realise it at the time. Having worked tirelessly for over 25 years to revive the dying Raika way of life, hers is an inspiring story.