Woburn Safari Park is thrilled to announce the arrival of a male Bactrian camel calf, born on 22 April to proud parents Rita and Khan.
It’s not every day you see a baby camel, especially one just learning to stand on four wobbly legs! Woburn Safari Park is thrilled to announce the arrival of a male Bactrian camel calf, born on 22 April to proud parents Rita and Khan.
Still finding his feet, the fluffy youngster is sticking close to mum and delighting visitors from his paddock near the Road Safari entrance. This is Rita’s second calf and a particular milestone for the Park, marking the first baby camel here in three years.
But wait… are baby camels born with humps?
Surprisingly, no! It takes around 10–12 months for a baby camel to develop these iconic humps.
Here are a few more camel facts that might just surprise you:
- No humps yet – baby camels are born without fully formed humps, they develop after weaning.
- Baby vs beast – newborns weigh around 36-45kg, about the same as a large packed suitcase but can grow up to 1,000kg!
- Extreme guzzlers – Adults can drink up to 135 litres of water in 15 minutes (that’s over 60 large bottles of Evian!)
- Desert champions – their humps store fat (not water!) which helps adult camels survive long journeys and temperature extremes from -40°C to 40°C.
Tom Robson, Head of Reserves, says: “We’re over the moon to welcome this new calf. It’s a joy to watch him exploring, and Rita’s been an absolute natural this time around.”
