National Research Centre on Camel, Bikaner

Camel Research Farm, Bikaner is a farm engaged in the research of camels. It is located about 8 km from Bikaner city in the state of Rajasthan in India. This is a one-of-a-kind institute in India. The farm is a complex of camel stables, enclosures and buildings. One can enjoy camel rides or ice cream made of camels milk. The farm permits tourists at certain hours of the day.

It is interesting to watch camel calves gamboling around and also quite spectacular when the camels return from a day out in the desert. It is also known as a Camel Breeding Farm and was established in 1984 by the central government.

The camel is an important animal component of the desert eco-system. With its unique bio-physiological characteristics, the camel has become an icon of adaptation to challenging ways of living. The proverbial Ship of Desert earned its epithet on account of its indispensability as a mode of transportation and draught power in desert but the utilities are many and are subject to continuous social and economic changes.

The camel has played a significant role in civil law and order, defense and battles from the ancient times till date. The world famous Ganga-Risala of erstwhile Bikaner State was accepted as Imperial Service Troup and participated in World War I and II. The camel helped the engineers while constructing the Indira Gandhi Canal in Western part of Rajasthan. Presently, the camel corps constitutes an important wing of Border Security Force of Indian Para-Military Services.

Considering the importance of camel in the socio-economic development of arid and semi-arid zones, the Government of India established a Project Directorate on Camel at Bikaner on 5th July 1984 under aegis of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) which was upgraded to National Research Center on Camel (NRCC) on September 20, 1995.