Jasper learns the most important command
Temperature - Day (maximum):
approx. 30 degrees
Anna Plains Station – 04.05.2001
After feeding the camels, I get to grips with the new navigation computer. It takes me hours to find out that he doesn’t have a detailed map for Australia. Although such a map is not particularly useful to us in the desert, it would still be useful to have it. You can transfer a map to the small navigation computer, but that costs money and time again. In the end, I decide to work with our old GPS and use the new one as a replacement device.
In addition to camel training, there is of course always other important preparatory work to be done. Bags have to be sewn and repaired, the radio and technology tested, new straps and ropes cut for the camels, new hobbles oiled, bags rearranged and replaced, and so much more. Not to forget the endless work with the website, correcting many small errors, the associated phone calls to Germany, writing down our experiences, the interviews and so on. Tanja and I are busy from early morning until late evening. We have planned to be back on the road by June 12 at the latest. Although we are leaving a month late for this date, an earlier date is simply not feasible with all the work that needs to be done. Even the beginning of June is only feasible if absolutely nothing comes up.
In the late morning, we return to the camel enclosures. Today we want to have Jasper weaned and are excited to see if it will work. Now that he has a 9 meter long rope around his neck it will hopefully be a little easier to catch him. I cautiously approach the shy animal, but it immediately runs away in a panic. I quickly try to grab the rope he is dragging behind him. As soon as I grab it with my old, holey gloves, it hisses through my burning hands. In pain, I let go and try a second time. Jasper manages to snatch the rope out of my hands again. The jerky movements hurt my back and shoulders. After further failed attempts, the rope lies directly next to the post set in concrete. I slowly wind it around three times. Jasper notices the trap too late. He wants to pull out again, the rope strains and my post has to pass a massive reinforcement test for the first time. “He’s holding,” I shout with relief as Jasper’s escape is brought to a sudden halt. He prances nervously back and forth, raises his heavy head aggressively and wants to shake off the annoying rope, but he has no chance against the iron pipe. Jasper now thinks I have these bear powers to hold him and so he is already learning another lesson. If I catch him in the future and pick up the neck rope, he will know that there is hardly any point in running away. However, it will still take a few days and many attempts before then.
Whenever he takes a step forward to give way to the pull on his neck, I pull him even closer to the post. After a while, his head is only two meters away from me. I tie the rope and we leave him alone for a while. This way he can get used to what it is like to be tied up. We sit down on the ground, drink water and watch Jasper try to free himself. Finally, after perhaps half an hour, he has come to terms with his situation. We now approach him slowly and deliberately. He gets big eyes and when he realizes that he can’t run away he roars terribly. To underline his fear, the poor guy gets diarrhea and spreads his liquid excrement over our heads with his tail swinging up and down. I now carefully throw a 16 millimeter thick rope between his front feet, to the end of which we have tied a loop. Tanja now tries to catch the eye of the line with the metal rod made by Tom, which also has a hook welded to the end. She must never get too close to Jasper, because camels can kick forward with their front feet in a flash and mercilessly. Jasper nervously kicks the hook, which only lightly touches his front foot. Again and again we try the annoying, grueling game until Tanja has the loop on the hook. She quickly pulls on it, gives me the loop through which I quickly thread the other end of the 16-millimeter rope until it tightens just above his foot and below his ankle. “This is how we caught his left front foot. Now I throw the rope over his back so that it lies between his shoulder and hump. Tanja catches it on the other side and pulls on it. I come to her aid and together we manage to lift his left front foot off the ground. He is now bent at the thigh due to the pull of the rope. Jasper is now standing on three legs. After what we have learned, he gets tired of standing on three legs after a while and sits down. When this happens we will call shoo down and so he learns one of the most important commands. But as is so often the case, theory differs from reality. Without showing the slightest sign of tiredness, Jasper stands rooted to the spot. “Shoo down! Shoo down!” we shout, but to no avail. It soon takes 30 minutes before his right thigh starts to tremble. “It can’t be long now,” says Tanja, panting with exertion. Finally, after about 40 minutes, Jasper shows signs of settling down and a little later he goes to his knees. “Shoo down Jasper, shoo down. Good boy,” we praise him. We are extremely happy at this moment. What a feeling to be able to train such a large animal and what a quick success. Of course, it will take many more requests before he will put down on command, but the first time he does so, the biggest barrier to this lesson has been overcome.
In India, Pakistan or Africa, we have often seen camels being forced to put down by hitting their front feet. It is an extremely painful method for the camel and, considering our success in the short time, an unsuitable and brutal one at the same time. It is very difficult to build up a good relationship with a living creature by brutally breaking it in, and because camels have an excellent memory, it is not uncommon for the trainer to create a mortal enemy for life.
After Jasper has been sitting there for a while, I let him stand up again by pulling hard on the neck rope. “Epna,” I order him at the same moment, so that he becomes familiar with the new command word right at the start of this exercise. “You did well,” I praise him and because we don’t want to overwork him on the first day, we leave him for today.
In the evening, the Jilleroos and Jackeroos from the farm come to the training paddock to see how our work is progressing. “Just come in. You can stroke everyone except the two new ones,” says Tanja invitingly. None of them hesitate to enter the enclosure. I fetch Sebastian, Goola, Hardie, Jafar and Istan, set them down in a row and say: “Here they are waiting to be stroked. Only moments later, all five camels lay their heads on the ground and allow themselves to be pampered with visible devotion. It’s a wonderful picture and definitely contributes to the idea that camels are not just kicking, biting and spitting monsters. Shortly before sunset, all the farm workers are soon sitting on the gates, laughing and having fun as they watch our boys wrestle over the food: “Look what a funny lip he has there. Oh, he seems to like it. The one with the crooked lip is a mean pusher. The poor new ones hardly get anything,” they chatter and have fun.
