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False limb transforms camel's life - 11th August 2025
With the aid of a prosthetic limb, this maimed camel is now capable of walking again. The young dromedary, now named Cammie, allegedly had her foreleg severed by a landowner as punishment for straying onto his territory in search of food.
A video post uploaded on social media of the traumatized beast prompted the government to take swift action, so she was whisked to the safety of the Comprehensive Disaster Response Services shelter, over 250 km away in Karachi. While Cammie's physical rehabilitation was progressing, having undergone treatment for her wounds, it was the psychological damage that potentially stymied her recovery, as the centre's manager Sheema Khan spells out.
Sheema Khan: "The main challenge for us was to treat her mental trauma. At first she was afraid of men being near her. She used to scream whenever someone wearing shalwar kameez tried to get close to her. I cannot tell you in words how much she screamed."
Everything took on a brighter hue when, after spending five drawn-out months sitting down, a fellow camel, Callie, was introduced to her enclosure. Cammie struggled to her three feet unaided, apparently overjoyed to make her acquaintance.
Recognising the need for greater ease of movement, the shelter's vet Dr Babar Hussain had a prosthetic appliance tailored to meet Cammie's requirements by a US-based company. Since then, the centre's team has been systematically helping her to adjust to the artificial limb.
Dr Babar Hussain, senior vet: "We don't force her to walk. We wait for about 15 to 20 minutes after attaching the prosthetic leg. She stands up by herself and walks slowly."
Prior to this, fitting a dummy leg to a beast of burden was unprecedented in Pakistan. As such, witnessing it in use was a moment of considerable poignancy for Sheema.
Sheema Khan: "I started weeping when I saw her walking with the prosthetic leg. It was a dream come true. Everyone here is happy now."
Henceforth, being fortunate enough to now be a permanent fixture, Cammie will reap all the benefits the sanctuary can offer.
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