Previous Year Question
What is/are unique about ‘Kharai camel’, a breed found in India?
It is capable of swimming up to three kilometres in seawater.
It survives by grazing on mangroves.
It lives in the wild and cannot be domesticated.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
1 and 2
Only 3
1 and 3
1, 2 and 3
Correct Answer: A
Detailed Solution
Statement 1 is correct
The Kharai camel is a distinctive indigenous camel breed of the Kutch region of Gujarat.
It is commonly known as the swimming camel.
It can swim for approximately three kilometres or more through seawater and tidal creeks to reach offshore mangrove islands or locally known ‘bets’.
Its broad and soft feet help it move over marshy, saline and coastal terrain.
Unlike conventional desert camels, it is adapted to both terrestrial and coastal ecosystems.
Statement 2 is correct
Kharai camels graze on mangrove leaves and other salt-tolerant coastal vegetation.
Their ability to swim through the sea is directly connected with their need to reach offshore mangrove grazing grounds.
The term ‘Kharai’ is understood to be derived from the Gujarati word khara, meaning saline.
The breed can survive in drylands as well as saline marshes, creeks and mangrove ecosystems; it is therefore regarded as a distinctive ecotonal breed.
Statement 3 is incorrect
The Kharai camel is not an exclusively wild or non-domesticable animal.
It is a recognised domesticated livestock breed, maintained by pastoral communities of Kutch for generations.
Fakirani Jat and Rabari pastoralists are particularly associated with its breeding, management and grazing.
Its milk is consumed and the animal contributes to the livelihoods of its keepers.
Allowing domesticated camels to graze freely in coastal and mangrove areas does not make them wild animals.
Additional facts
ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources has registered Kharai as a separate indigenous camel breed of India.
Its home tract is Gujarat and its official accession number is INDIA_CAMEL_0400_KHARAI_02009.
Mangrove destruction, industrial activity in creek regions and conversion of coastal land for salt production threaten its habitat and traditional grazing routes.
Therefore, Statements 1 and 2 are correct.