We have many exotic fauna in Cuba, but our mammals are quite small,
and we normally go to the zoo to
see camels; hence seeing dromedaries wander around freely in the outskirts of Havana on the streets of Playa Herradura, Mariel, was mystifying.
Not simply wandering. Seven imposing males had converged around a small female, while an eighth 1500-pounder (680 kilograms) leapt or squashed wire fences in his haste to join them.
The bellows of the harassed female and the kicks and bites exchanged among the males fighting over her created such a spectacle that we had to stop to watch. Luckily, a camel expert appeared and advised us to get out of the way. “You’d better step aside and let them pass. They’re unpredictable this time of year. When there’s a camel in heat it can become dangerous.” Where the story begins This is not the first time such animals were brought to Cuba. In colonial times they were introduced in the Matanzas and Santiago de Cuba provinces to transport sugarcane and minerals.
In 1989, 23 of them were imported from
Australia to see if they could adapt to the mountains. The dromedaries walk the more than 1400 hectares of the farm where they live. From May to November, their mating season, both females and males break down the fences and eat wherever they please. After several embarrassing situations, the farmers learned their habits and customs and are able to feed, herd and worm them without problems.
An unexpected task After all that trouble, in 2003 the farmers were asked to train the dromedaries to use in tourist places.
They were willing, but where could they find the instructions needed
