Thar Camel Herding Raika Community Rajasthan

The Raika (also called Rebari or Devasi) community of Rajasthan are the traditional hereditary camel herders of the Thar Desert, whose knowledge system for managing Camelus dromedarius (the Indian dromedary camel) in semi-arid and arid conditions represents a 1,000-year-old pastoral science of outstanding depth. Raika camel herding knowledge encompasses camel health management using traditional veterinary remedies (Panchagavya-like formulations from camel products plus forest plant extracts), breeding selection for disease resistance and desert-adaptation traits, camel milk management (including selective suckling rationing to allow milk off-take while maintaining calf health), and the management of large herds (50–500 camels) across the shifting seasonal pastures of the Thar. Traditional Raika herds included the Bikaneri, Jaisalmeri, and Kachchi breeds — each adapted to different Thar terrain types. The camel's multiple products include milk (used fresh and for camel milk products — the Lokhit Pashu Sewa Sansthan cooperative in Sadri processes camel milk into ice cream, soap, and powdered milk for specialty market), wool (coarser than goat wool, used for rope and blanket weaving), and dung (fuel and fertilizer). The Raika herding knowledge is recognized as a Threatened Breed Knowledge system under UNDP and IUCN programs following the catastrophic collapse of the Rajasthan camel population from 500,000 in 2000 to below 200,000 in 2020, driven by the 2015 Rajasthan law prohibiting camel slaughter (which inadvertently destroyed the economic value of male calves and made male camel rearing uneconomic for herders).