A Re-Evaluation of the Use of Large Domestic Animals in Central Asia: Focusing on Changes in Camel Breeding

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26300013
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 海外学術
• Research Field: Area studies
• Research Institution: Nagoya Gakuin University
• Principal Investigator: IMAMURA Kaoru 名古屋学院大学, 現代社会学部, 教授 (40288444)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 斎藤 成也 国立遺伝学研究所, 集団遺伝研究系, 教授 (30192587) ; 石井 智美 酪農学園大学, 農学生命科学部, 教授 (50320544) ; 星野 仏方 酪農学園大学, 農学生命科学部, 教授 (80438366) ; 風戸 真理 北星学園大学短期大学部, 短期大学部, 講師 (90452292)
• Research Collaborator: Nurtazin Sabir Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Fuculty of Biology abd Biotechnology, Professor ; Azim Baibagyssov Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Institute of Ecology, junior research fellow
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: ラクダ飼育 / 中央アジア / 大型家畜 / 生態学的調査 / 遺伝子分布 / ラクダ乳 / ソ連時代 / 牧畜形態

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Camels are well adapted to dry climates. We focused primarily on camels reared in Kazakhstan, conducting a diversified examination of such topics as the ecological characteristics of camels, their economic value, and their origins, and the history of their hybrids. There are two types of domestic camels found spread across the globe; the Bactrian camel and the dromedary. Although they are different species, in Kazakhstan crossbreeding of the two has been carried out since long ago for various purposes. Recent years has seen the increased popularity of a hybrid between the Arabian camel, with its higher volume of milk.
It is in this context that research is proceeding forward, not only with investigations into what their DNA, ecology and behavior tell us about the peculiar characteristics of camels as animals, but also at the same time into how human beings have used camels of the ages, considering the history and current state of this interaction.

Free Research Field

生態人類学