The Camels are Here!

In our show we will have 6 live camels.  And naturally, they will each have an understudy.  Which means we need to care for, train, and rehearse 12 camels.  Easiest way to do that is for them to live onsite.  That way there is no excuse for them being late to rehearsal.  :)

So, the camels arrived yesterday.  We built a large compound for them, even trucking in specific sand from Al Ain (just across the UAE...only 1.5 hours away).  The camels need a very specific dry, red sand, because any other kind of sand sticks to their feet.  We also brought in big water troughs, food bins, and trailers for their handlers.  They live next to our rehearsal area, and are definitely the most popular cast group.

I got to visit them yesterday afternoon, shortly after their arrival.  They were a little agitated...which is understandable.  Everyone's a little agitated on moving day!  Here are some photos of our beloved camels.

You can see on this guy that he has a kind of nose ring.  It is a loop of rope thru his nostril.  A length of rope is tied to it, and that is how the guide directs the camel - by yanking on his nose.  It is very unkind, and my colleague Abdulla (in the white kandora in the photos) was disgusted.  He says that is not the UAE way.  It is the Omani or Saudi way to control camels.  In the UAE, they do not use that method - they only use the rope harness over his head/neck, like for horses.  Abdulla also told me these were not terribly high-quality camels...these are from a tourist agency.  But that is good for us, as they are used to people, noises, came flashes, etc.  And they were pretty docile when I met them.  The guy above let me scratch his neck and head for quite a while.  (And don't worry, I thoroughly washed my hands afterward!)