High gas prices spur demand for camels in India

Elevated gas prices resonate in strange ways. Sure, while the average commuter might now consider alternatives like public transit or carpooling to ease the sting at the pump, the repercussions of high fuel costs are felt globally -- and not just by the average cubicle-dwelling workerbee. Take India, for example. Financial Times reports that in the state of Rajasthan, farmers are looking to the camel as a replacement for fuel-swilling tractors. As a result, demand for the animals is up, as is their cost. Still, a strong, work-ready camel costs just a quarter of what Indian farmers would need to shell out for an entry-level tractor, and the critters don't need to be constantly refilled with expensive fossil fuels. FT notes that a full-scale camel revival faces other challenges, but this rediscovery of the animal as a good worker could be the start of something. It's not "backward" if it gets the job done, right? Camels: they spit on costly tractors!
[Source: Financial Times via Instapundit | Photo: Stuck in Customs]