Shaking us frantically, our jeep headed up a dirt road that meandered through a sparsely vegetated alpine slope. We were on a quest to understand conservation issues related to the Bactrian camel in the Nubra Valley of Ladakh. Soon the Khardung La, the highest motorized pass in the world, came into view. The prayer flags, the hallmark of a high pass in this part of the world, fluttered incessantly on a spur.
Once at the top, we wobbled around taking pictures of the signs that read “World’s Highest Motorable Road (18,380 ft.)” emblazoned on them. The altitude soon got to us, and we quickly got into the jeep and continued. After a relatively uneventful drive on a macadamized road, we reach the village of Khardung. The bright green agricultural fields around the town contrasted with the dark brown hillsides that surrounded them.
Hundreds of nature lovers visit the Nubra Valley every year. It is popularly known as the Valley of Flowers, and is located about 100 km north of Leh, the capital city of Ladakh and the ancient Indian gateway to central Asia. The landscape is adorned with wildflowers, sand dunes, rugged mountains and sea-buckthorn thickets that teem with birds and mammals.
The village of Sumur was our first stop, and we stayed at the Stakrey guest house with a beautiful garden in full bloom. In addition to delicious flowers, the owner had grown vegetables such as potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, etc. The next day we ventured into a side valley to look for wildlife, but after walking for a while the trail disappeared into a sheer cliff and we had to retrace our path.
The afternoon was spent in the village of Tirit, learning about the history of camels in Nubra. “The camels in the valley are descendants of a group of about 15 individuals bequeathed by Central Asian traders,” said Wangdus Norbu. The Kalon families of Tirit and Sumur, who ran a caravanserai during the heyday of Silk Road trade, were the first to raise camels as draft animals. But as the road infrastructure in the valley improved, thanks to the Indian Army, they were abandoned.
“Trade on the Silk Road was only made possible by these hardy animals,” added Mr Norbu. Bactrian camels can live for several days without water, a trait well recognized by Central Asian traders. “A full-grown camel can carry three times as much load as a horse,” another villager commented. The most important products brought back by Yarkandi traders included silk, bullion, pearls, and Persian rugs, which they traded in Leh for spices and clothing from the Indian plains. The trade ended in the late 1960s after the Sino-Indian War.
After a pleasant stay in Sumur, we continue our journey up the valley and find a small oasis for camping. We set up tents among the Hippophae bushes, laden with delicious berries. An effort was made to see camels before eating spaghetti for dinner.
A golden light had bathed the surrounding peaks, when a roaring helicopter woke me up the next day. One more machine flew across before I got up. Perhaps they were taking fresh supplies to the border post on the Siachen Glacier, the largest outside the polar region and the highest battlefield in the world. After morning ablutions we head towards the town of Panamik, a highly coveted destination in the valley due to its hot springs. People from all over Ladakh come here to take a shower, as they believe that the sulfur water is a panacea for all diseases.
After a few days in Panamik, we went to Diskit, the headquarters of Nubra. Upon arrival we explored the small market with shops selling trinkets. We were told that the camels are found in the scrub forest below the village, so Mark and I ventured into it. After much searching, we saw a couple of camels feeding on stunted willow leaves. They soon joined a group of thirty animals. In fact, it was a great sighting; our efforts finally paid off.
Although domesticated Bactrian camels are abundant in Central Asia, the wild form is one of the most endangered mammals on the planet with fewer than 1,000 surviving individuals. They are distributed in the Gobi desert of Mongolia and the Xinjiang and Gansu provinces of China. Despite concerted conservation efforts, its population continues to decline due to competition with livestock and poaching.
Wild camels in Nubra have long remained isolated from the larger population in the aforementioned Central Asian countries, and perhaps represent a genetically distinct population. Therefore, they need the immediate attention of conservationists, as they are in conflict with the people. “They go into the fenced orchards and destroy the trees,” said Abdul Razaq, a villager from Hundar. “People throw axes in retaliation and animals succumb to injuries,” he added as he sipped traditional Ladakhi tea.
Also, some agitated villagers drown the foals by throwing them into the high currents of the Shayok River. “People urged the district administration to supplement temporary guards to prevent animals from entering private properties, but to no avail,” said another villager. The situation is getting worse with the growing needs and aspirations of the people.
Fortunately, the opening of the valley to tourists a decade ago provided new economic opportunities. Camel Safari is a recent and increasingly popular initiative in the area. Young entrepreneurs are fascinated by this new perspective and are increasingly taming the wild camels. However, since the animals have been left unattended for a long time, it is often difficult to recognize them in the wild. This sometimes leads to fights between the alleged owners.
One day, we joined a group of tourists riding camels in the sand dunes near Hundar. As I straddled and rocked on a camel trudging across the sand dunes, the guide told me about this new business. Although Camel Safari improves the income of the locals, the animals seemed stressed and emaciated. The ones we rode were certainly weaker than those we had seen before in the thicket. But perhaps increasing the economic value is the only way to preserve them in the long term.
“People also bring some camels to Leh every year to take part in the week-long Ladakh Festival in September and earn some extra income,” the guide snapped. With this growing commercial prospect, the people of Nubra are becoming possessive of their camels. According to Abdul Razaq, people were up in arms when four Bactrian camels were brought to breed in Pushkar, Rajasthan, home of the dromedary in India. They maintain that if the tourists see the Bactrians in Rajasthan, they (the tourists) will not make an effort to come to a remote place like Nubra to see them. “Fortunately, the animals did not survive in Rajasthan due to the intense heat and were brought back,” a villager reported.
We start the last leg of our trip to Hundar, where we camp at Nyerchung Resort, located in a beautiful orchard in the middle of the village. We pitch our tents under an apple tree that bears its fruit day and night. After a memorable couple of days in Hundar, we say goodbye to Nubra and return with fond memories of the Bactrian camels, hoping that they will survive the negative impacts of modern development and remain the center of the valley for centuries to come.
