The camel is called the ship of the desert. It can go for days in the desert without water and, despite its thin legs, can carry heavy loads. But camels have a disease, the writer says, that forces them to eat a live snake.

The disease is called Hayam, which means swallowing a snake alive. A camel with this disease stops eating altogether and, until it dies, only stares at the sun. Experts have researched this strange and mysterious disease but have not been able to explain it. Without knowing about the disease, many people treat camels cruelly.

According to the writer, the cure for Hayam is for the camel to swallow a live snake, and it must be a venomous one such as a king cobra or a fearsome python. Camels sometimes eat a snake of their own accord. After swallowing it, the camel's thirst grows, and after eight hours in this state, because of the venom, tears stream from its eyes. These tears are very useful for other treatments.

The tears are so valuable that every camel owner preserves them in various ways. In ancient times camel tears were kept in small leather pouches, because this water is completely different from other water.

Camel tears are called "tiryaq". Tiryaq is a medicine made to neutralise the venom of any creature. It is most important for people, the writer says, because it works as a remedy against the venom of snakes and scorpions.

The writer is a student and media worker.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.