A trial is being carried out to make use of the camels for patrolling and carrying hundreds.
Leh:
Excessive altitudes, unpredictable climate and the dearth of confirmed mechanical choices have made the armed forces take a look at a pure different for patrolling and carrying tools within the difficult terrain of Ladakh, and the two-humped camel is main the pack.
The Defence Institute of Excessive Altitude Analysis (DIHAR) in Leh, Ladakh is coaching these wild camels, also called Bactrian camels, to be obedient pack animals.
Bactrian camels are very hardy, can survive in excessive altitudes and are additionally meals storehouses, with the flexibility to go with out feeding for practically two weeks. They’ve been used extensively as beasts of burden in Central Asia and might simply carry a great deal of over 150 kg in a chilly, rarified surroundings.
Chatting with EDNBOX, Colonel Ravi Kant Sharma of the Remount Veterinary Corps in Leh, Ladakh, mentioned double-humped camels had been used to move items on the legendary Silk Street, however the data to tame them and get them to obey has been misplaced in India.
Colonel Sharma who’s a part of DIHAR, which is a part of the Defence Analysis and Improvement Organisation (DRDO), mentioned, “Double-humped camels are a great possibility as pack animals for the operational logistics necessities of the Military, particularly last-mile connectivity’.
Logistical Nightmare
Scientists from DRDO say the mountains are typically thought of a logistician’s nightmare. In Ladakh, an enchancment within the street infrastructure has considerably widened the transportation choices, however troops nonetheless should depend on porters and pack animals for last-mile connectivity.
They mentioned pack animals have confirmed their price in logistics, particularly within the mountains, the place the capabilities of drones, quadcopters and all-terrain autos or ATVs haven’t but been confirmed on the required scale. At excessive altitudes, the usage of technological choices can be depending on climate circumstances, environmental components and terrain, and help from pack animals, they mentioned, will improve the operational logistics effectivity.
Within the Ladakh sector, Zanskar ponies have been extensively used as pack animals because the 1999 Kargil operation and, in Japanese Ladakh, preliminary trials on Bactrian camels for a similar goal have been profitable.
The Northern Command of the Indian Military mentioned the two-humped camel provides an revolutionary means for last-mile supply of essential load and mounted patrolling within the sandy terrain of the plateau. The utilisation of camels has been producing employment for the native inhabitants and has additionally paved the best way for enhancing conservation efforts.
Dr Om Prakash Chaurasia, Director, DIHAR, mentioned, “Just like the Zanskar ponies, as per requisition from the headquarters of the Military’s 14 Corps, a trial is being undertaken by us to test the feasibility of utilizing the two-humped camels for patrolling and carrying hundreds. The preliminary trial has proven encouraging outcomes.”
Colonel Sharma mentioned, “Coaching a double-humped camel to be a soldier could be very completely different from coaching them to supply pleasure rides to vacationers. In instances of conflict, the animal has to stay regular and obey all instructions even because the machines roar round them.”
Yaks Too
Trials on the usage of yaks as pack animals for excessive altitudes (above 15,000 toes) are additionally going down. Yaks have thrice extra purple blood cells than native cattle in addition to bigger lungs and are completely tailored to carrying as much as 100 kilograms of load in excessive altitudes. Their heavy coat permits them to outlive temperatures as little as minus 40 levels Celsius they usually can graze on high-altitude pastures starting from 15,000 to 17,000 toes.
Using these animals can be extra essential now as a result of drones and robots may fail simply when they’re wanted most if the enemy makes use of jammers.