Dominance is not absolute. “Every individual assumes the subordinate role at some point with some individual in some context unless the individual is pathological.”6 In terms of camels, natural feeding behavior seems to be devoid of dominance, and there does not seem to be rigid rules about who goes first or who initiates a grazing shift. With readily available forage, hierarchical relationships appear to be very laissez‐faire. Schulte and Klingel observed camels moving from the boma (overnight corral) to the feeding grounds. They could not recognize a true leader, as the camels seemed to share the lead position, and the changes in front position were friendly and the relieved animal was not observed attempting to regain its former position.[7] In the camel population, males can drive and chase females in a sexual context but have absolutely no privileges when it comes to other things like food and salt. Schulte and Klingel concluded that camels do not routinely express dominance rather than in sexual situations and theorize that it is due to the evolution of the species in an environment where there was no need to monopolize resources.[7] Truly dominant individuals rarely engage in aggressive encounters. “Although aggression at times is used to establish dominance, agonistic encounters, particularly between familiar individuals are normally resolved with non‐injurious ritualistic behavior.”[6]
If there is limited food offered to a group of camelids, there will be fighting, but it is important to realize that this is about food, not about social rank. We humans are starting this fight and we can prevent it by managing feeding time differently. Based on the environment that shaped their behavior, camelids, particularly males, should not have to compete for food. Once fighting is understood as competition for food and not an unavoidable issue of dominance, unnecessary fighting can be eliminated. Feeding males well away from each other defuses battles before they begin. Three feet per animal is often quoted as a rule of thumb but the greater the distance the better.
Remember the same rule of thumb, “distance = happy camelids,” applies to all resources. Do not make your males fight over anything! Make sure that there is shade, water, minerals, and salt available to all members of a male group. Think of managing males as reverse musical chairs: there is always one more chair than players, so there is no need to defend or compete for limited resources.
Pen Size and Shape
Pen size can be manipulated, and it is natural to use the number of animals as a gauge for pen size. However, this rule of thumb does not take into consideration all necessary factors to determine how many males can safely be housed in a pen. Distance from coveted resources is key. The camel literature would suggest that there is a distance that young bachelor males must maintain from females. According to Schulte and Klingel, “The bull was able to chase bachelors of age up to 5 years which were kept in the vicinity. Whenever they came too close to the herd, they were attacked and chased up to 50 meters or further away. In no case was there any resistance.”[7] There does seem to be a minimum size pen that will work for boys regardless of the numbers. Three intact males may need as much room as 10 females if they are going to get along. Subordinate animals must be able to get far enough away to communicate that they are giving up any claim to the coveted resource – in most cases females. Males will chase other males very vigorously to protect territory. In a pen that is too small, no matter what they do, subordinates cannot provide adequate distance and are always in trouble.
In addition to pen size, pen shape, the contour of the land, presence or absence of buildings, and the location of females in relation to the shape of the pen are influencing factors. If you have males that are not getting along you might think of offering more space or tinkering with feeding locations in relation to the females. For example, move temporary shelters or add temporary fencing to create a baffle that creates an impediment to chasing. Ideally, the females are completely out of sight. If the females can be seen but only from a specific part of the male pasture it can lead to fights, as this spot will be the prime piece of real estate on the premises. If you are in the process of setting up your farm, choose a pasture for your males that has hills or areas that provide visual cover for junior males and one that is either completely hidden or completely in view of the females.
Temperament is probably both genetic and environmental. The author's own experience would indicate that the genetic component is more important. Hyper‐aggressive males that cannot live in a group without risk to all members of the group are a given and are likely born that way. Ironically, these males are not often particularly good breeders, they are easily distracted during copulation and are often more interested in what other males are doing than in breeding. Camelids that rely on aggression for every situation are almost always the same ones that have difficulty interacting with people. These males are not confusing humans with herd mates, they simply meet every encounter with aggression regardless of who is on the receiving end.
It is extremely important to re‐shape the behavior as early as possible. The single biggest problem when dealing with males is the human practice of cornering, grabbing and holding camelids to catch them. The practice (fortunately or unfortunately) works most of the time in that most animals will eventually submit and allow themselves to be caught, haltered, and managed to some degree or another. BUT the ones that will not submit to the corner‐grab‐hold approach, are exceedingly difficult to deal with and the more they are handled physically the more adept and comfortable they become interacting physically with humans. These males are management problems, and since they may be passing their temperament along to future generations, they should be used for breeding with caution. Castration helps with this problem, but the tendency to resist physically instead of submitting persists, and these animals are not suitable for new owners.
Observing and understanding behavior is necessary for proper management. However, returning like behavior (spitting back, wrestling, kicking or other dominance approaches) to misbehaving animals is easily misinterpreted by the recipient and may be dangerous to the human particularly when it comes to breeding animals. Communication between animals is incredibly nuanced and relies at least in part on having the proper anatomy.
To manage males successfully, you must manage their environment and work in a way that does not frighten them into behaving aggressively. Good animal management – laneways, catch pens, good fences and handling skills are the same things that also make managing males easy. With intact males, these things are essential. Cornering an adult male camelid and trying to wrestle him to a standstill will scare him so he may respond in kind and it will have nothing to do with dominance and everything to do with self‐defense.
Berserk Male Syndrome or Novice Handler Syndrome?
Berserk male syndrome (BMS) is a phrase that has been around for a long time. Llama Breeder Paul Taylor originally used the term BMS in an article in late 1980 or early 1981. Paul said, “It seems to be the end result of a series of confusing and negative interactions with humans, beginning with the breakdown of the normal standoffishness that herd raised llamas show in their relationship to humans. A male llama that has been bottle fed or constantly petted and fondled as a baby will show no hesitation about initiating contact with humans, as in the mild case of the pushy llama who runs up to be petted or bumps with his chest against people in the pasture with him. Such a llama is apt to be pushed or slapped to keep him away. This conflict can escalate over a period of time, possibly with changing owners or eventually the use a whip or club to keep the animal at bay. The final result seems to be a tangled combination of normal llama behavior for dominance assertion, breeding and defense.”[8]
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