Got Milk?

Camel Milk?!

Camels aren’t just for riding. Now, they are milked and some people say the milk is healthy and delicious. At the Oasis Camel Dairy Farm in Ramona, California, Gil and Nancy Riegler raise and milk the camels at their farm. Gil and Nancy’s farm is far from ordinary. Instead of starting out with cows and pigs, they started with camels. Gil and Nancy began with four camels about 15 years ago. Now they have 20 camels that live on the farm. They also have different types of animals like parrots, turkeys and donkeys.

The Oasis Camel Dairy farm proves that camels provide much more than just a fun ride. The camels can produce two gallons of milk per day per year. According to the Rieglers, the camel milk not only tastes good but it also has many health benefits because “…camel milk is the closest milk to a human mother’s milk and has insulin in it so it’s good for diabetics to drink,” said Gil Riegler. Camel milk can even lower the risk of getting heart attacks and strokes.

Most of the milk is used for the different types of products that Gil and Nancy make at the farm. The products range from soaps, lotions, camel milk serum, and lip treatments. Their camel milk soaps and lotions are popular and come in different types of scents. They even offer camel milk chocolate.

Not only can you see unusual animals and ride a camel, you can also sample healthy and delicious camel milk and camel milk products. The unique experiences at the Oasis Camel Dairy is worth the trip.

<Ella Cho, Ridgecrest Intermidiate School, 6th Grade>