Camel Leather

[Handstitched]

Not sure where this topic belongs, but here goes. 

There was a TV program in Oz recently  called ' Eat The Invaders" . One of the 'invaders'   was all about Camels as they are a feral pest across Central Australia, theres so many of them,  they simply get shot and left to die where they are shot, quite a waste ,  and the program was all about eating the meat, the same as we eat beef.  However, although the program was about eating the meat, nothing was said about using the hides to make leather.   Cattle are already rounded up on  cattle stations, but I can't understand why Camels can't be rounded up the same as cattle as I believe Camels are a wasted resource.  Financial reasons? or Camels are simply not seen as a resource? 

I had a customer come to my stall late last year asking me where can she find Camel leather. We were thinking the same thing, I have tried searching for  Australian Camel leather suppliers, but without success.  She then showed me a bag made from Camel leather that she got from over seas, it was incredibly soft.  We can't just about get every other types of leather here in Oz  , except Camel leather. 

Strange 

HS

[Handstitched]

I forgot to point out, that Camel meat is available, but only at a  selected supplier,  mainly in the east, and the program showed what can be achieved with the meat, a traditional middle eastern dish,  looked dam tasty  ,  but what happens to the hides ?

HS

[TomE]

Was going to make a joke about Camel (Campbell) Soups…. We have a friend who operates mobile petting zoos in the Saint Louis area. She recently bought a camel from a breeder in Oklahoma. Apparently camels are in demand for parties, nativity scenes, etc. She’s a skilled horse trainer and is making good progress training “Camelot” the camel. I won’t ask her about camel leather. 

[Tastech]

I'm not really a fan of camels , spitty , ugly and temperamental animals that they are ( reminds me of some humans ) .However i am predisposed to a well presented foot . lol. I recently made the acquaintance of a fellow shoe maker and leather worker from Alice springs in central Australia . He gifted me a tin of his own brand of camel dubbin leather dressing  made from the fat of the hump . I didn't think to ask about the source of this hump fat and how it was obtained  let alone ask about the qualities of its leather . I do know that wild camels are rounded up and exported to the middle east for their meat but i am not sure if they are shipped live or as frozen meat . If they are shipped frozen then the skins are disposed of because i don't think there are any viable tanneries in or close to camel country . They may on the other hand be salted and exported green along with cowhides to tanneries around the world for processing into leather.To be honest i have never really given it much thought before. It could in theory be financially viable under some circumstances .  You would need to round them up , pen them and transport then to an slaughter house . The skins would go to a tannery and the meat to be butchered  . Camel hair is world renowned  for its fineness and thermal properties but i think the wool is shorn at a certain time of year and you need i live tame live camel to do that . Is the meat tasty and marketable ? who knows .  If i ever come across some i would be happy to give it a try.  I am sure NSW lwaether could source you some if you wanted it .After all they sell veg tanned Kangaroo scrotum's , so why not camel leather 

About 40 years ago i met a bloke who lived out in the desert who was once a cameleer . He told me he made the saddle bags for his camels out of camel leather as well as old carpet. Again i didn't inquire further as he sort scared me and was as we say in Australia a bit on the nose .

Below is a link to the website of James B young , the bloke from Alice .If you contact him he might be able to enlighten you and us all 

 https://www.jamesbyoung.com.au/

  

[chuck123wapati]

id try me some camel if given the chance lol. i see tons of info on the web about its use but none for sale.

[BlackDragon]

It's difficult finding Camel leather because most searches are bringing back camel as a color.

What I found so far

in The Netherlands. https://www.artnamic.com/leathers/full-grain-camel-leather/

UAE https://akl.ae/market/

[Handstitched]

On 2/4/2025 at 3:41 AM, chuck123wapati said:

id try me some camel if given the chance lol. i see tons of info on the web about its use but none for sale.

I imagine it would taste like a steak, maybe a bit fatty, but that where the flavour is .  I have had  Emu steaks, the flavour packs a punch, a strong gamey flavour. Roo meat is yummo, and very lean . The ' big red' roos up north are built like a brick s***t house, all muscle , you don't mess with them, best to eat them , lol 

HS

[TonyV]

If it made economic sense to utilize the nearly 3 million feral camels in Oz I'm sure they would.  I know that some of the culls are used for pet food, but they have to process the meat immediately. The processor has to actually be on site when the camels are shot, and they can only take a limited amount at a time.  Not so easy when you have million hectare + stations to run, with very limited water and grazing available in that desert environment.  The trailers, stockyards, fences and other equipment that are designed and plenty strong for cattle are just too small to manage camels, which are much larger than cows.  It would require an entire new setup and more manpower to wrangle them successfully.  Not to mention Ozzy laws and regulations. 

I agree it seems wasteful.  I have had a camel steak and it was very tasty and tender.  Camel leather is reputed to be both soft and strong and there are thousands of hides left in the desert to rot.  Ah well, worms and buzzards gotta eat, too.  And I have wished for camel leather on occasion myself.