Heartbreaking video shows horrific working conditions for camels in India

This heartbreaking video shows camels facing the most extreme conditions and having to work relentlessly in what has been dubbed ‘the world’s hottest workplace’.
In Rajasthan, India, working camels have a key role transporting large stacks of bricks by cart at the local brick kilns.
But conditions are punishing for the animals who work in this harsh, dusty environment, where temperatures can reach 50 degrees.
Without shade from the intense sun, the camels and workers – including entire families who make the raw bricks – carry out the arduous work at the brick factories for up to nine hours a day.
On average, one brick is produced and shifted every single minute, for use in local construction.
Due to the intolerable heat, the camels must work through the night, from 2am until 11am.
They haul loads weighing two tonnes, with each cart filled with 800 or 900 individual bricks.
In these brutal conditions, the camels are under constant threat of injury and illness.
Wounds and lameness are common problems, along with respiratory conditions, colic and skin diseases such as mange.
SPANA treated over 9,000 camels last year
The footage was released by global animal charity SPANA (the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad), which improves the welfare of working animals in low-income countries, including providing essential veterinary care.
Speaking ahead of World Animal Day on 4 October, chief executive, Linda Edwards, said: “Working animals like the camels working in the brick kilns of Rajasthan perform vital roles in the world’s most impoverished communities.
“However, they are often completely over-looked and many people are unaware about the extreme conditions they face.
“Sadly, many working animals endure exceptionally harsh conditions, often carrying excessive loads in sweltering heat across tough terrain.
“Their welfare is often very poor – they lack access to water, shelter and veterinary care.”
Through its mobile clinics, SPANA treated more than 9,300