SOCIO-ECONOMIC DIMENSIONS OF CAMEL BREEDING AND CAMEL WRESTLING IN TURKEY

This study was conducted to examine the socio-economic dimensions of the camel breeding done for camel wrestling which has been on-going as a family tradition from the periods when nomadism was performed widely to present times. Data were obtained from the survey study conducted in 2020 with 56 camel breeders who were selected by random sampling. Most of the participants dealt with camel breeding beause of the tradition/habit handled down from the family (78.6%) and 21.4% of them were involved in camel wrestling. Breeders fed their camels an average of 11 kg of roughage and 5 kg of concentrate feed daily and the average annual feed cost was $ 924. About 23.2% of the participants fed their camels with additional feeds 7 days before wrestling events. Those breeders having more camels incurred an extra average cost of $ 430 labour (savran) per month. Camel wrestling, led to soft tissue injuries in the face and in some body parts, leading the foot problems, and breeders had to spend average annual cost of $ 125 for veterinary care and medicine. The results of the survey were evaluated in terms of the health of camels and it was determined that there is a shortage of veterinarians specialised in camel breeding and in the treatment of common diseases and injuries in camels.