Pushkar Camel Fair 2007
Every year, the sleepy town of Pushkar becomes the focus of grand scale tourism when people flock to see the spectacle that is the Pushkar camel fair. A population of 14,000 people is increased to bursting point by sightseers wanting to catch a glimpse of what is the biggest animal fair in the world and definitely a feast for budding photographers.
Winner of the Best Dressed Camel?
It is estimated that 50,000 camels make their way to Pushkar, sometimes walking hundreds of kilometres so that they can be bartered for in the marketplace. Still I have to take a second glance when I see one of these prehistoric looking creatures gliding gracefully by, so at ease with the desert landscape of Rajasthan.
Camels at Dusk, Pushkar Fair November 18th 2007
It’s a blast to the senses as your eyes feast on the thousands of animals, interspersed with the vibrant colours of the turbans and saris of their owners against a sunset of brilliant orange. Your ears are filled with the various animal sounds and Rajasthani music, while the nose is treated to the smell of burning campfires, cooking and the mustiness that accompanies having so many animals in one place.
Help In Suffering (HIS), another well established animal charity based in Jaipur, has been running a treatment and education camp at Pushkar Fair for many years, so rather than have our own camp, for the last couple of years we have helped at their camp by providing staff to assist with all the cases that are seen. We are lucky to have an excellent working relationship with the other animal welfare organizations in Rajasthan which means, when necessary, we can all pull together and get the job done and share the information that comes.
Manoj and Siteram assisting at the HIS camp at Pushkar Fair
With so many animals in one place and having travelled so far, the doctors and animal assistants from both organizations are kept busy from morning until night treating a variety of problems. Common problems seen are maggot wounds, especially around the nose peg that is put in their nose as a means of control and under the saddle, lameness, inappetance and mange.
As you can imagine, camels are not the easiest animals to treat due to their sheer size and forthright behaviour and it requires care and skill. Every year, the number of the very valuable Marwari horses coming to the fair, is also increasing and they also come with a range of conditions requiring treatment.
A mare, stallion and foal being shown off to prospective buyers at the annual Pushkar Fair November 2007
We also got the opportunity to put a plug in for our TOLFA shelter when a national news channel asked for an interview, so before we got the chance to worry whether our hair was in place we were shoved in front of the camera……only in India!!!
Rachel being interviewed at the Pushkar Fair November 2007. We challenged her to see how many times she could mention TOLFA!
February 6th, 2008 at 10:41
My husband and I have been supporting your charity for almost two years now by direct debit and seeing all the hard work you have been doing makes us so glad we have. We have visited India twice and will be visiting Goa shortly. We think India, it’s animals and people are wonderful and we are sure you and all your workers and volunteers are appreciated by all you help. We would love top visit your clinic if we return to Rajasthan. Good Luck in all your future projects.
February 12th, 2008 at 08:44
Hello Brenda,
Thank you for your lovely comment. As one of our very first supporters, which we are incredibly grateful for, you are always welcome to come and visit us next time you are in Rajasthan.
Have a fantastic trip to Goa.
Kim