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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: michael97123 who wrote (252333)	12/26/2007 10:16:37 AM
From: Elroy	Respond to of 281500

GW may be killing the camels! UAE camels clear of mystery killer disease, say scientists By Aftab Kazmi, Bureau Chief Published: December 25, 2007, 23:13 gulfnews.com Al Ain: The mysterious bug which has killed thousands of camels has not affected herds in the UAE as scientists and authorities are closely monitoring the situation. The disease recently killed thousands of camels in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, sending a wave of panic among farmers and scientists who are baffled as to what the disease is and its cause. Dr Ghaleb A. Al Hadrami, Dean of the College of Food and Agriculture at the UAE University, said no trace of any such disease had yet been found anywhere in the UAE. "Nobody, however, knows the exact cause of this camel ailment so far, but scientists have been working on it," said Al Hadrami. Dr Ulrich Wernery, Scientific Director of the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) in Dubai, said scientists had been investigating lines such as poisoning, antibiotic pollution, viruses and climate change as possible causes. It was earlier believed the cause of the camels' death was some kind of infectious disease. However, according to international reports, blood tests of the camels indicated towards a contamination of fodder. An estimated 5,000 camels in Saudi Arabia and North Africa have died so far from the mystery bug. Dr Wernery said the Saudi authorities remained tight-lipped over the situation and were not sharing information. "This has been a problem in finding out what has actually been killing the camels," he said, adding his organisation was willing to help Saudi authorities. "I am to go to Saudi Arabia to collect first-hand information and on-site evidence," said Dr Wernery. This message has been sent to the Saudi authorities through the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water but no reply has been received, he said. He said on-site investigation was very important for scientists and experts in identifying the cause of the bug and finding a solution. Dr Wernery said the CVRL has a monitoring system in the UAE and so far had not found a single incident in the UAE. He said farmers and people who own camels in the UAE need not worry about this mysterious disease. The UAE, he said, had stopped importing camel fodder from Saudi Arabia years ago. Now most of the hay comes from Oman and food pellets from other countries in the world. Fast facts: A hit with tourists The world camel population is 12 million. The UAE camel population is 250,000. Some 190,000 camels for milk are reared in the UAE. Camels are used to produce 1,700 tonnes of meat in the Abu Dhabi Emirate annually. The animal has significant tourism and sporting value in the UAE.