New Bactrian Camel Joins San Francisco Zoo as a Symbol of Conservation Efforts

The San Francisco Zoo has made an exciting announcement to draw visitors to their Asian Conservation Zone: a new resident Bactrian camel has joined the fray. This 8-year-old male journeyed over from the Blank Park Zoo to become a part of SF's effort to support the conservation of his critically endangered species. Bactrian camels are known for their impressive stature, towering over seven feet at the hump and weighing up to a whopping 1,800 lbs.

Visitors can expect to see this hulking creature alongside the Przewalski's horses in their shared habitat. According to the San Francisco Zoo's social media post , the Bactrian camel is distinct from its better-known relative, the Dromedary camel, which sports just one hump. Bactrian camels have two, and the wild ones, less than 1,000 remaining in China and Mongolia, are battling habitat loss, hunting, and crossbreeding with domestic camels for survival.



Unlike their domesticated cousins, wild Bactrian camels have triangular-shaped humps and are generally larger overall,.