But the two-humped Bactrian camels the group of mainly middle-aged women were given to ride turned out to be a little too wild. |
It is estimated that no more than 660 wild Bactrian camels, Camelus bactrianus ferus, and possibly as few as 500 survive in China. |
There were a few camels and traditional black Bedouin tents here and there with large flocks of sheep and goats nearby. |
Mounted on their camels, they use dogs to bring their quarry to bay, and sharpened poles as lances. |
On our trek, which has covered 132 miles in ten days, we have counted 141 wild Bactrian camels. |
In 2001, for example, the U.N. Environment Program declared that the wild Bactrian camels were a newly discovered species. |