The baby stork has been busy making deliveries at QCamel recently. We are tickled pink to announce the arrival of NINE new adorable additions to our ever-growing camel family – 4 girls and 5 boys. And just like their proud Camel Mums, we can’t wait to show them off to the world.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting

While calving season is always an exciting part of farm life, we still face a lot of challenges along the way. Baby season is pre-empted with a lot of calculated pre-natal and post-natal care… but also a lot of guessing!

A camel will carry her calf for a 12-14 month gestation. Yep, really! We are always so impressed with our camels for their sheer endurance and strength (and we thought 9 months was long enough!) That 2-month due date window coupled with the fact our camels like to give alone AND in the middle of the night AND very without making a sound can make for an interesting few weeks. We often need to go trumping around the paddock with torches and gumboots to find them safely then bury the placenta as quickly as possible, so as not to not attract any predators.

A new mum can often be very protective and aggressive over her little one (not so different from most mums – except a 700kg camel can be a very scary mother!). So, we keep a close eye on them from a distance to ensure the babies are standing, drinking right, growing healthy and reaching their milestones. With patience and kindness, we are eventually allowed camel cuddles and kisses from both mother and baby.

So… without further ado, we’d like to introduce you to our new camel babies.

Warning: Cuteness Overload ahead.

 

Our 9 newest family members of QCamel Dairy

Forrest Hump and DJ

“He was born runnin’ and hasn’t stopped runnin’ since!” With his super long legs and proud Mumma Jenny, we couldn’t resist naming this little guy Forrest Hump. It was an extra special surprise when his half-sister DJ (Dejarra) was born the following day to Harriet. These two cutie pies are completely inseparable, always playing, running and cuddling together and will always wait for the other wherever they go.

Eli the Resident Naughty Boy

Not-so-little Eli made quite the entrance when he was born. We found him halfway out and STUCK during labour and we needed two people to help him make his way into the world. His poor mother Dolly hasn’t had a rest since, with Eli definitely holding the crown as the cheekiest and naughtiest baby ever at QCamel.

Surprise! Its Tamara    

Sweet Tamara was an adorable surprise when she was born. We weren’t expecting her to arrive so early and didn’t have time to move her mother into the birthing paddock. Whoops! We were so overjoyed for Mother Fanny who sadly had a few miscarriages before finally having Tamara. She dotes on her beautiful little girl who is very dainty and a glorious stark white.

Isabel the Tomboy

Little Isabel is bit boisterous and loves to play with boys, but is still buddies with Tamara and Stacey. Her mother Fifi has a special bond with our worker Sherri, who was the first person allowed near Izzy and rightly so, the one to name her.

Box of ‘Goodies’

Little Goodman (or Goodies)’s mum Margery is second-in-charge of our 100+ camels and the saying goes “you never mess with Margery.” Unsurprisingly she never lets Goodies out of her sight, but he tends to be a bit of Mummy’s boy anyway. He has been handpicked by Eli to be his little brother (i.e his designated wrestle mate). Margery has some words to say about this but obviously, Eli didn’t get the memo!

Sweet Stacey

Like Fanny, gentle giant Rhonda tragically lost her first baby before she was blessed with little Stacey. She arrived at QCamel as a single camel (rather than as part of a herd) and took a long time to make friends and find her place. Thankfully, Margery has taken her under her wing and now Rhonda and Stacey can enjoy being part of the beautiful QCamel family.

Prince Teddy

Move over Prince George, this baby camel is the cutest royal around. Little Teddy was named after his grandmother Theodora, who also happens to be our herd matriarch and top boss. He was our first ever grandbaby, just like his mother Tarome was our first ever baby many years ago. All this makes Teddy the reigning Prince of QCamel!

Shine Bright Like a Diamond

Diamond might be an unusual name for a baby boy, but we think it suits him perfectly. Diamond was born to Peggy, one of our older camels and one of our best milkers. Just like his mum, he is sweet natured and gentle.