Bactrian camel, Merlin, arrived here at Chester Zoo on the 27 July after a slight delay as we searched for a trailer big enough to fit him in (he’s SO big!).
Merlin is 6 years old. He was born at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, but joined us from Knowsley Safari Park, where he was a firm favourite with the keepers there. Merlin won’t be breeding with the females here and instead has joined us as a companion for them. Camels are a social species, they like being in groups – and the time was right for a new member of our herd.
Did you know?
In the wild, male camels are pushed out of family groups when they reach sexual maturity. They join bachelor herds until they find a group where they can challenge the dominant male and take over.
It’ll be interesting to see if the dynamics change now there’s a male in the group. Will having a male, change the behaviour of our group? Will he become the dominant leader? Only time will tell…
Caroline Wright, Assistant team manager: camels, giraffes, and zebra
A camel on the move
Merlin is 2.5m tall and over 700kg, so it took quite a bit of logistical planning to find a suitable trailer for him to fit in. We eventually found a large enough livestock lorry and he was very calm, lying down for the duration of his journey. He then decided he was quite comfy, so it took some effort (and lots of food) to encourage him out again at the other end!
When a new animal arrives, we carry out a 30-day quarantine period, with increased biosecurity to ensure animals don’t spread illnesses elsewhere in the zoo.
There wasn’t a huge amount to do to prepare the camel habitat for Merlin’s arrival, but we did add an extra straw bed to make sure each camel had their own space if they wanted to be alone.
First impressions
Sparky was the last camel to arrive in 2019, so it’s been a while since she and Mei-li have seen a new camel – especially a male. With the relatively recent move into their new home (the former giraffe habitat), we weren’t sure how the females would react to a newcomer.
Merlin started off in a sperate area and the camels were given a couple of hours to see each other and interact through the fence line. All was calm, so we introduced them in their indoor space. They had lots of room, so we’d be able to separate them if needed. But it was all good – the introduction went well and they were soon let outside.
Both females were a little unsure of Merlin to begin with. They’d move away if he approached, but remained calm. Sparky was the first to have nose to nose contact with him. She did spit at him a few times (just to make sure he didn’t get too close) but by the next day, they were all lying close to each other on the paddock.
"Merlin is a very handsome camel and it’s been a pleasure to welcome him to Chester Zoo. He’s inquisitive, but follows the females’ lead, so we’ve seen him around the whole paddock – he comes inside with the females overnight and knows when its feeding time."
“The main food item we offer the camels is branches. They’ll eat the leaves and strip all the bark. We offer these in a variety of ways to get the camels moving – on the ground, hung from browse poles, attached in bundles to the fence line or as leaves in the hayracks."
“We have lots of experience managing giraffes in this habitat, but camels are quite new here, so working out how best to use the space to make it work for both keepers and animals has been a nice challenge. We’re excited to learn more about Merlin as he gets more confident and used to his surroundings."
- Assistant team manager, Caroline Wright: camels, giraffes, and zebras
Spotting Merlin
Merlin is quite distinctive. He’s big, with a large head and two big humps that are both fully upright. We can’t wait to see what he looks like when he gets his full winter coat.
The camels’ favourite spots are under the shade of the big poplar trees – or in the sand pit they’ve made themselves in front of their house.
