Donkeys, Elephants - and Camels?

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Election season brings out the animal in lots of people. (Sorry for the bad joke.)

I won't say if I'm a donkey or an elephant, but I thought you might like to know that some people think politicians are camels. Yes. Breeders of wrestling camels name their animals after politicians.

I see the resemblance. Camels and politicians look friendly at first glance. Camels bat their lovely long eyelashes at an unsuspecting person, so you think they might be helpful, you know - to carry your stuff, or give you a ride to the nearest watering hole. Politicians have great smiles... you fill in the blanks.

Get too close and both can turn nasty and spit. Believe me, "camel breath" is the ultimate insult.
I almost passed out when a camel breathed on me once. Maybe I should stop comparing these two before you think I'm too cynical/critical/insane.

Back to the wrestling camels:

Camels in the wild wrestle over females in heat. Long story short: Men got involved and camel wrestling became an Anatolian event. As a part of Turkic heritage, camel wrestling tournaments are a lucrative tourist attraction. The tradition has seen an upswing as a result, and a prize bactrian (two humps) camel can now go for up to $20,000.

I think a camel would have to go 0-60 much faster for me to pay that much, but then there are camels bred for racing too. I lived in the UAE - land of the even more expensive racing camel. Dromedary (one hump) camels are FAST. I reevaluated my perception of the camel after I saw one running past. They can get up to 40 miles per hour, which is a lot faster than my two feet can carry me. They run on animal feed, which probably costs less and gets more miles per gallon. Plus a camel can cross the desert with little water and survive crazy sandstorms.

I haven't included any camels in my work. Probably because I haven't found that character who needs to meet a stubborn pack animal yet.

Wonder who represents the camel party around here...

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