Kharai camel

{{Short description|Breed of camel}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}

The Kharai, is a rare and unique breed of dromedary camel, commonly known as the ‘swimming camel’ due to its ability to thrive in the salt marshes of Kutch district, located in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Their name is derived from the Gujarati language word 'khara', meaning salty.{{Cite news |title=High and dry: will India's swimming camels be the last of their kind? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/03/high-and-dry-will-india-swimming-camels-be-the-last-of-their-kind-aoe}}

Also locally known as 'Dariyataru', these camels have earned their name due to their ability to swim in the waters of the sea. With a slow and purposeful grace, they glide effortlessly through the water, traversing up to 3 kilometers in the shallow seas to reach their grazing grounds – the mangroves of the neighbouring region.{{cite web |title=The rare Indian swimming camels under threat |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-india-58498881 |website=BBC.com |publisher=Copyright 2024 BBC |access-date=24 August 2024}}{{cite news |title=Gujarat: CAG finds 117 hectares of mangroves destroyed in Kutch; asks govt to save ‘Kharai" breed of camels from extinction |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/gujarat-cag-finds-117-hectares-of-mangroves-destroyed-in-kutch-asks-govt-to-save-kharai-breed-of-camels-from-extinction-8526072/ |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=The Indian Express |date=29 March 2023 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1= |first1= |title=Watch {{!}} The swimming camels of Kutch |url= https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/watch-the-swimming-camels-of-kutch/article65320597.ece |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=The Hindu |date=14 April 2022 |language=en-IN}}

The Kharai camels are closely associated with the Rabari and Fakirani Jat communities, two local and traditional tribes who have owned and managed these camels for generations. As nomadic pastoralists, these tribes have developed a symbiotic relationship with the Kharai camels, characterized by mutual dependence and understanding of the animals' needs and habits.{{cite web |title=Kutch's Kharai breed, the world's only swimming camels, battle the tide of an uncertain future |url=https://www.firstpost.com/long-reads/kutchs-kharai-breed-the-worlds-only-swimming-camels-battle-the-tide-of-an-uncertain-future-7285111.html |website=Firstpost |publisher=Firstpost |access-date=24 August 2024 |language=en-us |date=9 September 2019}}{{cite news |title=Gujarat: Endangered kharai camels going hungry |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/endangered-kharai-camels-going-hungry/articleshow/89578359.cms |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=The Times of India |date=15 February 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Trivedi |first1=Kankana |title=Swimming camels |url=https://www.thehindu.com/children/swimming-camels/article31038076.ece |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=The Hindu |date=11 March 2020 |language=en-IN}}