At a glance
- IUCN category
- CR · Critically Endangered
- Animal group
- Mammals
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- FaunaHub record reviewed
- Checked against IUCN
- Sources disagree — IUCN's 2025 global assessment says EndangeredChecked 2026-10-09 against IUCN's Red List export published 2026-07-28 · assessment
Conservation overview
The wild Bactrian camel is the rare wild relative of the domestic two-humped camel, surviving in remote deserts. It is assessed as Critically Endangered.
It can drink salty water that other large mammals cannot tolerate.
Range & habitat
Remote deserts of north-western China and Mongolia, including the Gobi.
Major threats
Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.
- Hunting
- Competition with livestock and hybridisation
- Scarce water and habitat loss
Why it matters
A genuinely wild camel of some of the harshest deserts on Earth, the wild Bactrian camel is a flagship for protecting Central Asia's remote arid wilderness.
The wild Bactrian camel (Camelus ferus) is the threatened wild form; the linked reference covers Bactrian camels broadly.
Sources
Sources for Wild Bactrian Camel
- IUCN Red List — look up Wild Bactrian Camel (authoritative status)
- Animal Diversity Web
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the wild Bactrian camel different from domestic camels?
It is a separate, genuinely wild population (not feral), generally slimmer with smaller humps, and remarkably it can drink salty water that would harm most mammals.
Why is the wild Bactrian camel Critically Endangered?
Published assessments cite hunting, competition with livestock and hybridisation with domestic camels, and scarce water and habitat loss. See the IUCN Red List.