Ali Umer watched his camels suffer in the blistering heat of Ethiopia's Afar region, one of the hottest and driest places on Earth. “They get blisters on their feet, their eyes become watery and the hot sand burns their skin and eats up their hair when they are sitting,” the 40-year-old herder told the BBC. In the past month alone, eight of his around 500 camel calves have died. “Even the wind, which used to bring cool air, now carries heat,” he said, describing changes he has noticed in recent years.
Camels are famously known as the ships of the desert – resilient animals that herders across North Africa and the Horn of Africa have long relied on. The region hosts around 80% of the world's dromedary camels. But a 2025 study based on the perceptions of camel herders in southern Ethiopia showed that high temperatures and climate variability have had a detrimental impact on camel health, productivity and reproductive performance.
“Extreme heat in Africa is killing camels, with a herder losing eight calves in a month and studies showing catastrophic mortality rates.”
Across the border in Somalia, the situation is even more severe. Research published in June 2025, involving nearly 6,000 pastoral households, found that drought-related camel mortality affects nearly 46% of camel-owning households. In the northern Sool region, the mortality rate is a staggering 73%.
Scientists, animal welfare workers and multiple studies all point to stress, fatigue, dehydration and disease as direct impacts of extreme heat. Indirect effects include severe loss of water, vegetation and shaded areas. As temperatures rise, the very animals chosen for their hardiness are now struggling to survive.