Camels are famous for surviving in hot deserts. However, rising temperatures in Africa are now threatening these animals. "I can see my camels suffering from extreme heat," Ali Umer, a herder in Ethiopia, told the BBC. He lost eight baby camels in one month because the heat was intenseintense/ɪnˈtens/L2强烈的，极度的very strong or extreme. The hot sand burns their skin, and their eyes become watery. The Afar region in Ethiopia is one of the hottest places on Earth and is home to 80% of the world's camels.
In addition, scientists say extreme heat is causing stress, fatigue, and disease in camels. In Somalia, a study found that droughtdrought/draʊt/L2干旱，旱灾a long period without rain-related camel mortalitymortality/mɔːrˈtæləti/L2死亡率the number of deaths in a group affected nearly half of camel-owning families. One area which is called Sool reported a very high death rate of almost 73 percent. Veterinarians in Kenya have seen a 15 percent increase in camel deaths in the last two years. The extreme heat causes drought, which makes water and food hard to find.
Experts explain that camels can handle heat up to 40 degrees Celsius. However, temperatures in North Africa now often go above 50 degrees Celsius. "Prolonged heat above 41 to 45 degrees directly attacks their cells," said Professor Abdelmadjid Chehma. As a result, many herders in Ethiopia are leaving the northern region permanentlypermanently/ˈpɜːrmənəntli/L2永久地in a way that lasts forever or for a very long time. If temperatures keep rising, camels will strugglestruggle/ˈstrʌgəl/L2挣扎，努力奋斗to try very hard to do something difficult to survive.
