It is said that the poisonous snake helps the camel to get rid of some diseases and even the tears that the camel sheds show that it is expelling the poison inside. But is this really the case?
Camels, which we are familiar with with their large hump and very long stature, are very resilient animals, especially in harsh desert conditions. The most common treatment for camels is to make them swallow snakes.
But does swallowing a poisonous snake really cure camels and how does it affect them?
To survive, a camel may need to eat things it doesn't normally eat - such as snakes - but there is no identifiable reason why camels should eat snakes in particular.
Camels often suffer from a disease known as Hyam, which causes a variety of symptoms including lethargy, swelling, fever and anemia. Since no cure for this disease has yet been found, some people believe that the only solution is to feed the camel a poisonous snake.
This infection causes the camel to suffer numerous reproductive problems, including miscarriage, stillbirth and testicular degeneration, and without proper medical attention, the camel is very likely to die.
Another claim is that a camel that eats a poisonous snake will shed tears as soon as it swallows it. In some cultures, these tears are even believed to have healing properties and are used as a treatment for snake bites.
However, there is no evidence to support this belief and it is a misconception that camels cry after swallowing a snake. It is also a false claim that camel tears have healing properties.
At least we can state clearly that the crying camels you see in various documentaries do not shed tears for this reason.
If a camel is bitten by a snake, it is of course negatively affected, but it does not pose a life-threatening risk to them. This is because snake venom is made up of fragile protein structures.
Since camels have a very strong digestive system, the snake venom that enters their bodies is easily eliminated due to their regular digestive function.
Again, considering the camels' habit of eating whatever they find to survive in the geography they live in, it is possible to say that they are actually exposed to many risks from most of the foods and creatures they consume, and that snake venom is quite mild compared to all these.
In summary, we can say that there is no special reason for camels to eat snakes. Again, in some societies, the practice of feeding snakes to camels for different reasons is based on superstitious beliefs, and so far no positive aspects of this behavior have been proven.
What is the reason for making camels swallow poisonous snakes?
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