Domestic camel rest at the Ganga Nuur (lake)

Watering camels in the Gobi is hard work. Most wells are draw-wells, not mechanically operated, and the water, often more than thirty feet deep, has to be raised by hand. As each camel drinks about 100-120 liters at a time (a horse drinks 40-50 liters), watering a herd can take several hours. A camel can go nine days without water, 33 days without food, though these are extremes which it is rarely forced to experience. A camel with two firm humps is in good health and has been recently fed and watered; if one or both of the humps droop, the camel needs some sustenance.