Desert camels head for the hills

THE picturesque mountainous Cairngorms have seen the appearance of some peculiar-shaped humps added to its landscape.

A trio of two-humped Bactrian camels were unveiled as the latest new arrivals at Highland Wildlife Park at Kingussie. They follow the arrival of three new tiger cubs and a number of snow monkeys. The camels recently came from Edinburgh Zoo and were unveiled yesterday.

There are two females and a younger male.

The male will not reach breeding age for a few years.

The park's animal collection manager Douglas Richardson said:

"The Bactrian camel is actually well suited to the Highland climate and we fully anticipate that they will thrive in their new home."

Mercedes, the only polar bear in a UK zoo, is expected to move from Edinburgh to the Highland Wildlife Park later this year.

Wild Bactrian camels were originally found throughout central Asia, but are now restricted to pockets of the Gobi Desert.