Camel cup pictures for 2017

Last month our current house sitters were at Uluru (Ayers Rock) for a visit and also visited the camel farm while there. It is that time of the year at the end of May when the cameleers get to race between themselves and have a fun day.

To our surprise Ken and Leanne found a picture of Bernie and I on the promotional material for this years 2017 Camel Cup, two photos in fact. Bernie and I had a fantastic day last year and it was the highlight of our stay at the farm.

We made it into the Uluru camel cup 2017 program guide.

Camels are sensitive creatures

Camels are such beautiful creatures and very patient, much more patient that a horse will every be. Yes they can occasionally vomit all over you but that is only if they are really scared. You see camels are very sensitive creatures and highly emotional, they are very perceptive to your emotion.

Last year when we were there, I decided that if I was going to work with such sensitive large animals, that best way for them to know that I am a friend and not out to hurt them was to refrain from eating meat as much as possible while I worked with them. Over the weeks, I forgot about the strict ‘not eating meat rule’, one of the cameleers cooked a delicious chicken meal for everyone in the house. The little experiment I had haphazardly decided to do came all to clear to me the very next morning.

Frustrated cameleer

I was one frustrated cameleer! For the very first time the camels were turning their noses up at me, not listening or coming to me like they usually did all the past weeks. They would not sit still and putting a nose line on most of them was much more difficult that usual. What the hell was going on?? By this stage it had not occurred to me at all that the camels very well could be sensing or smelling the meat I ate the pervious night.

When I got home I told Bernie about the odd behaviour that all of the camels exhibited towards me through the shift and how frustrating it was. I have seen them do these types of behaviour to other certain cameleers but not to me. Was I doing something wrong, did I have a new perfume or deodorant? mmm no…..Bernie just replied ‘well babe you did eat meat for the first time in weeks remember? Huh true…..well I made sure I never did that again while working there, sensitive creatures they are for sure.