Scottish wildlife community in mourning after 21-year-old camel dies

But Caramel, the eldest Bactrian camel at the Highland Wildlife Park in the Cairngorms, died this week at the age of 21.

Otherwise known as the Mongolian camel, a distinguishing feature of this mammal is its two large humps compared to the single-humped Dromedary.

According to various zoological groups, there are only about 1,000 left in the wild.

They said the animals can live up to 50 years, but in captivity, it is more common to see them live to between 20 and 40 years.

In 2004, Caramel moved from ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, in Bedfordshire, to Edinburgh Zoo with her mother. She was only one at the time.

After five years at the zoo, she moved up to the Highland Wildlife Park where she proved to be popular with staff and visitors.

She died this week after facing “age-related issues”, according to her caretakers.

The wildlife park is home to two other Bactrian camels - Dierdre and Dippy.

Native to Central Asia, including the Gobi Desert in China and the Mongolian steppes, these animals are able to withstand temperatures ranging from 40C to -30C.

They have a dense shaggy coat that they shed in the spring to keep cool and feed on leaves, grasses and shrubs.

Conservationists say they can go for days at a time without drinking or eating. When they reach water they can take in as much as 57 litres to restore the normal amount of body fluid.

Experts at London Zoo say the Bactrian camel is the only land mammal that can drink salty or brackish water with no negative effects.

The Highland Wildlife Park is near Aviemore, in the Cairngorm National Park. It was recently involved in the recapture of four lynx that were illegally released into the wild near Kingussie, just several miles from the park.

One of the lynx died shortly after being recaptured, and experts said all four were starving.

The other three were taken into care at Edinburgh Zoo.

A police investigation is ongoing to determine where the big cats came from and who released them.