Camels
Camels in GSWA
The one humped camel was introduced to German South West Africa from 1889 onward. Early shipments came from the East African coast, Port Said, British India, Somaliland and Arabia. Camels were difficult to obtain at the time due to global military and infrastructure demands. The first major shipment to DSWA included 76 camels from Port Said, followed by an additional 403 animals acquired through Hagenbach’s Somali and Arab trading contacts. Later, a large consignment of 2,000 Somali camels arrived after a sea voyage of 192 days. Initially, the camels were intended for railway construction between Lüderitzbucht and Keetmanshoop, but they soon became essential to military operations in the arid interior.
