I AM SORRY to say that little Senti died in the night last night. I suppose it is the way of baby animals, but I am very sad for Shilingi, for the camel team, and for Tom and Max who were the baby's real owners. Everyone will have done what they could.
For the last two years I have been asking William whether my camels, Tulip and Shilingi, were pregnant and then whether their babies had arrived. I am pleased to announce the birth of a kike (female) camel yesterday.
Shilingi is a first-time mother but has over fifty other camels to show her what to do. For the first few days the calf will have all of her mother's milk but then will need to share it with the milking bucket. The calves are never weaned. As a female she should be able to stay with her herd for the rest of her life, surrounded by her mother and her aunties, cousins, and eventually her own calves.
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As you can see, she is tied up by the leg. This too only lasts a few days while she is too vulnerable to follow the herd. She will graduate to the home paddock at headquarters and soon be able to go off with the herd for the day eating all of the new grass, shrubs and trees that have recently flourished in the rain.
