The Wild Camel (Camelus ferus) is one of the most endangered large mammals in the world and is currently classified as Endangered. With an estimated global population of approximately 1,000 individuals, restricted to the Gobi Desert regions of Mongolia and China, its survival remains critically at risk.
Until relatively recently, the wild camel was not formally distinguished from the domestic Bactrian camel. In 2008, however, a landmark genetic study led by Pamela Burger at the Institute of Population Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, conclusively demonstrated that the wild camel is a distinct species. The research revealed that the wild camel is genetically separate from the domestic Bactrian camel, with the two species diverging from a common ancestor nearly 0.7 million years ago. As the only remaining species of truly wild camel on Earth and a keystone species of the Gobi Desert, its conservation is of exceptional ecological importance.
The wild camel faces numerous threats, including habitat loss and degradation, desertification driven by climate change, expanding mining activities, and genetic dilution through hybridization with domestic Bactrian camels.
The Wild Camel Protection Foundation was founded in 1997 in the United Kingdom by John Hare and Kathryn Rae, with the primary mission of protecting and conserving the critically endangered wild camel. The Wild Camel Protection Foundation Mongolia was established in 2002 in Ulaanbaatar as the in-country partner organization. It is responsible for implementing conservation programs, managing breeding initiatives, and coordinating closely with the Mongolian government and local stakeholders. The Wild Camel Protection Foundation USA was established in 2026 in New Jersey, United States. Together with WCPF Mongolia, it operates as a partner organization alongside WCPF UK, strengthening international collaboration and expanding global support for wild camel conservation.
In 2003, WCPF launched a groundbreaking captive wild camel breeding program in Mongolia, the first and only initiative of its kind worldwide. Supported by the Ministry of Nature and Environment and Tourism, land was secured within the buffer zone of the Great Gobi Area of Special Protection A, the only remaining natural habitat of the wild camel in Mongolia. Initial infrastructure, including several small buildings and a ten-kilometer perimeter fence, was constructed in 2003. The establishment of the Wild Camel Breeding Centre at Zakhyn Us created an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen wild populations and advance scientific research. Notably, the successful release of captive-bred wild camels into GGSPA ‘A’ highlights the program’s effectiveness and conservation significance.
More recently, work has begun on a second breeding center at Toli Bulag, also located within the buffer zone of Protected Area ‘A’. This new facility will provide greater capacity for captive breeding and, for genetic and biosecurity reasons, will eventually support two distinct captive wild camel populations. Both breeding centers are situated adjacent to the species’ natural habitat, facilitating the development of sustainable water sources and improving long-term conservation outcomes.