Camel's Milk

Well, here we are. Day two of my promise to stay away from politics for awhile. At least in a sense.

I'm finding as I take a step back, some realities about our world become more focused. For instance, I'm finding, just like the health care reform issue that's raging, everyone is talking, shouting and screaming yet no one is listening, what's more, hearing.

That brings me to my topic for today. Camel's milk. According to the Wall Street Journal Camel's milk is going to be the next rage in health food. In some parts of the world it already is and an enterprising lady from North Carolina wants to bring it to the states. Big time. Why? It tastes good and it's better for you than cow's milk.

It is not only more nutritious than cow's milk, it's said to be an aphrodisiac, and help everything from diabetes to autism. The pharmas are going to hate it! Especially the makers of Cialis unless they consider filling those bathtubs with milk! Then the beauty industry, too, will hate them!

There is a market for Camel milk in the states. The entrepreneur, Millie Hinkle, gets nearly daily calls from a Somali shop keeper in Minneapolis who tells her he has at least 70,000 Somalian customers who would buy it immediately. Wow. One shop keeper with 70,000 customers! Great.

There are always problems with new ventures. Ms. Hinkle's main one would be the lack of camels on U.S. soil. There are a few around outside of zoos and circuses but they aren't exactly the ideal backyard pet. They aren't called ships of the desert for no reason. They're as big as one! There are risk factors too. It's said they can be ticklish around the udder and unless whoever is doing the milking is experienced, he may just find his subject laying down mid-milking. That could slow what is already a laborious task.

The United Nations along with many European, Asian and Middle-Eastern countries are already studying ways of increasing camels and the production of their milk. Biomedical research is being done for development of drugs based on antibodies found in camels called nanobodies. These wondrous creatures are a treasure trove, indeed! It would be fun to see pastures full of camels dotting the hillsides. They have a charm about them if you don't mind their spitting in your face should you get too close.

But whoa! Wait a minute. This is where the fact that everyone is talking, planning and researching and no one is listening comes in. Camels, just like cows and goats and llamas, and other produce methane! They are larger than cows. More methane? Now, here's where two diverse sides need to get together. They need to weigh whether a more healthy product that is a staple in a world wide diet, milk, is more important than the amount of methane that would enter the atmosphere as herds increase.

Whoops!