Ilse Köhler-RollefsonOur lady of the camels

The one-humped camel has thrived for centuries as a load carrier in India’s hinterland, giving the Raika people a livelihood and an identity. But habitat loss, disease and sell-offs have decimated herds.

Ilse Köhler-Rollefson has combined western medicine with traditional remedies and pastoral techniques to save the herds and help the Raika diversify into selling camel milk and other products, causing the Hindustan Times newspaper to name her “Our Lady of the Camels”.

Köhler-Rollefson lives with the Raika for much of the year and works as a vet. She also defends their rights by lobbying the Indian government. As part of her advocacy, she helped found the non-governmental organization Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan to coordinate a regional effort to save the camels. She also plays a key role internationally as a core staff member of the League for Pastoral Peoples. In 2014, Köhler-Rollefson published a book about her. In 2014, Köhler-Rollefson published a book about her experiences, Camel Karma. Twenty Years Among India’s Camel Nomads.