Camelus dromedarius
For the camel,and the line behind it.
Camels are the most requested species for preservation in the GCC. A champion's value lies in its genome as much as in its races – and that genome can be kept alive. See also Heritage.
Camelus dromedarius
- Sites
- Abu Dhabi · Bahrain · California
- Cell banking
- $5,000
- Cryostorage
- $500 a year
- Continuity
- From $100,000
i.
Why owners preserve
In the Gulf, a racing or beauty camel is rarely just one animal. It stands for a line that a family may have followed for generations – dams and sires known by name, bloodlines traded and treasured. When a camel wins, its genetics become a family asset. When it ages or is injured, the question is how to keep that asset from ending with it.
Preservation answers that question at its root. A small skin biopsy, taken on the farm under local anaesthetic, becomes a living cell line within about three weeks, frozen at −196 °C in Abu Dhabi and mirrored in Bahrain. The line holds the camel's complete genome. It can later be used for parentage and lineage testing, for regenerative therapy after a racing injury, or for cloning.
Our mobile laboratory travels to farms, racing yards and breeding centres, so the animal never leaves home. Samples are placed into culture medium on board and reach the bench the same day.
ii.
What is possible
Camel cloning was first achieved in Dubai in 2009, with the birth of a female named Injaz from the cells of an adult camel. Since then, the Gulf has become the world's centre for the practice, and many cloned camels have been born for racing and beauty competition. A cloned camel is a genetic twin of its donor. Its racing ability will depend, as with any camel, on training, nutrition and temperament as well as on its genes.¹
A cloned camel is…
- A genetic twin of the donor.
- Born about 13 months after embryo transfer.
- Verified by DNA against the banked line.
A cloned camel is not…
- A guaranteed champion.
- A shortcut past training and care.
- Eligible for every competition – rules differ.
Many owners use banking differently: as insurance against the loss of a breeding dam or sire, and as a source for regenerative therapy should a valuable animal be injured. Parentage testing from the bank also supports registration and sale.
iii.
Timelines
Day 0
Farm biopsy
By our mobile laboratory.
Day 21
Line banked
Abu Dhabi, mirrored in Bahrain.
Months 1–6
Nuclear transfer
Embryos transferred to surrogates.
Months 18–30
Birth
Gestation about 13 months.
Camel gestation is long – about thirteen months – so a cloning programme typically runs eighteen to thirty months from an established line to birth. Pregnancies are followed by ultrasound, and we report every stage.
iv.
Notes for breeders
Reference genetic data for camels is thinner than for dogs, cats or horses, so our lineage reports state their confidence plainly. Parentage testing, which compares an animal with its presumed sire and dam, is robust. Surrogate dams are cared for by our veterinary team and are never used beyond the limits we set.
v.
Prices
- Cell banking, UAE
- $5,000
- Cell banking, GCC
- $6,500
- Cryostorage
- $500 a year, from the second year
- Parentage and lineage
- On request
- Cloning
- From $100,000, from a banked line
vi.
Questions
- Can you collect on my farm?
- Yes. Our mobile laboratory comes to farms, racing yards and breeding centres across the UAE, and to the wider GCC by arrangement.
- How long does camel cloning take?
- Typically 18 to 30 months from an established cell line, because gestation is about 13 months.
- Will a cloned camel race as well?
- It will share its donor's genes, but performance depends on training, care and temperament too. We never promise results.
- Can I bank a camel that has died?
- Often, if tissue is collected within a day and the body is kept cool. See Urgent.
- How much does it cost?
- Banking from $5,000 in the UAE; cloning from $100,000.
- Do you verify parentage?
- Yes, from the banked line, against samples from the sire and dam.
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