Extreme heat in Africa is triggering camel deaths as prolonged heatwaves push desert temperatures beyond 50°C, threatening one of the world’s most resilient livestock species. Across North Africa and the Horn of Africa, home to nearly 80% of the world’s single-humped dromedary camels, herders are reporting rising cases of heat stress, foot blisters, infections, declining milk production, and increasing mortality. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), North Africa has warmed by 0.43°C per decade between 1991 and 2025, making it the fastest-warming region on the continent.

In Ethiopia’s Afar region, camel herders have already lost multiple young animals this summer, while drought and soaring water prices are forcing many pastoral communities to abandon traditional grazing lands in search of shade and water.

Desert’s Toughest Survivor Is Reaching Its Limits

For generations, camels have been considered nature’s ultimate desert survivors, capable of enduring extreme heat and prolonged drought. However, climate change is pushing temperatures beyond the limits these animals evolved to withstand.

A camel herder from Ethiopia’s Afar region described the visible impacts of the intense heat. Camels are developing painful blisters on their feet as scorching sand burns their skin, watery eyes have become common, and hair loss occurs when animals rest on the overheated ground. Within a single month, he reported losing eight camel calves due to the extreme conditions.

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Rising Heat Is Damaging Camels at the Cellular Level

• Experts warn that while camels can comfortably tolerate temperatures up to around 40°C, prolonged exposure to 41-45°C or higher causes serious biological damage.
• According to Professor Abdelmadjid Chehma of the University of Ghardaia, continuous day-and-night heat attacks camel cells, weakens the immune system, and prevents normal cellular repair.
• As heat stress intensifies, metabolism slows dramatically to reduce internal heat production.
• This causes severe lethargy, appetite loss, muscle wasting, rapid weight loss, and declining milk production.

The weakened animals also become increasingly vulnerable to kidney failure, parasite infestations, and life-threatening infections.

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Pastoral Communities Face Growing Economic Losses

The impact extends far beyond livestock. As extreme heat in Africa is triggering camel deaths, thousands of pastoral families are losing their primary source of food and income.

• Recent research found that drought-related camel deaths have affected nearly 46% of camel-owning households in Somalia, while mortality reached an alarming 73% in the country’s northern Sool region.
• In Kenya’s Marsabit County, veterinarians have documented a 15% increase in camel deaths over the past two years due to hyperthermia and related infections.

At the same time, water scarcity is worsening.

• In parts of Somalia, water prices have surged by more than 2,000%, forcing herders to migrate south in desperate search of grazing land and water sources.

Key Facts About Africa’s Camel Heat Crisis

Climate Change Is Reshaping Life in the Desert

For centuries, camels have served as the last line of defence against drought in some of the world’s harshest environments. Today, even these remarkably adapted animals are struggling to survive increasingly intense heatwaves. Scientists warn that unless global warming slows and climate adaptation measures improve, camel populations and the communities that depend on them could face an increasingly uncertain future across Africa’s deserts.

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