A few years later, the company was asked to bring new blood to European zoos by importing several Russian-blooded camels via Bulgaria. Among this group of 20 camels came Jalna, a little two-year-old white camel who, prostrate at the back of the truck, finally decided to dismount very timidly. Jalna had been injured during transport. We had to take care of her before she continued her journey to the destination animal park. Today Jalna is nine years old. She’s doing great, is now mom to three babies and expecting the fourth in April 2019, and loves living in Feignies! She was the first Finnish camel, and in her kindness she repays us a thousand times over for the care we have given her. She became the mascot of “intelligent animal” enthusiasts, with more and more people stopping by for a caress or a treat.
We learned that camelids are absolutely fantastic animals, with a never-ending story to tell. It was from her that this passion for these humpbacked giants was born. Far from the financial pressures that the company should have imposed, we set about finding a companion for Jalna, and found him a friend who was a little strange in his eyes, since he was missing a hump! For want of a camel, the first dromedary had just set foot on Finnish soil. But… why stop there? Nature being made as it is, each one deserved to experience the joy of being a mother! Here we are with 4 animals… then 6 thirteen months later! Luckily, the company was able to keep so many animals that they were never separated, so much so that today, no fewer than 45 camels and dromedaries are Finns! France’s largest herd is born, and the company is very proud to have such a rich resource at its disposal!
Once upon a time, Julien JOB was a child of the Feignies region and heir to a rural culture. An animal lover from an early age, he spent his teenage years surrounded by animals (llamas, rheas, ducks, etc.).
He began working in the animal world at the age of 18, alongside his studies, and soon realized that his greatest desire was to make a living from his passion.
This was followed by a multitude of specialized diplomas (animal salesman, domestic and wild animal conveyor, animal breeding and keeping certificate), and the part-time creation of the JACO company in 2003. In 2005, he and his animals took part in the TV show “La ferme célébrités”, forcing him to devote full time to his business.
Specializing in the trade and transfer of animals between zoos and for pet shops, and with a reputation now established in the professional world, the company began breeding a few animals a few years ago on land in the commune of Feignies. Among them, a few donkeys and cattle of unusual and exotic breeds graze peacefully, delighting passers-by.
Just a selfish financial resource? Resell them? Or would you rather share it with a large crowd of people who, on a daily basis, are happy to come and say hello to our animals? Whether you’re a horse-riding enthusiast, an animal lover or simply an animal lover, a small group of friends naturally created the association “LA CAMELERIE”, which seemed the obvious way to share the love our big furry friends bring us on a daily basis.
In a true partnership with the company and Mr. Julien Job (owner of the land and the animals), the association has reached an agreement to promote the world of Camelids in all its forms, through the maintenance, education, riding and care they require.
We’re at the beginning of a beautiful story that we’d all like to never end.
How else can we explain and promote the reputation our association now enjoys than by inviting you to immerse yourself in our passion?
Since our creation, we have been lucky enough to be able to visit many towns and villages and introduce our animals in a variety of ways:
– A little adrenaline rush felt by thousands of people who have had the chance to take a hunchback baptism.
– Interesting episodes of cultural exchange through fierce debates, noting that our animals, carriers of foreign heritages, have been so well accepted by our French landscape.
– A touch of history with re-enactments of the Crusades, the Salt and Spice Routes, not forgetting the Army of the Orient commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte who, on July 1, 1798, landed in Alexandria with 30,000 soldiers from the top of their hunchbacked mounts, an army that gave rise to the creation of the Saharan méharistes companies, still in existence during the recent Algerian war.
– A pleasant way to discover the products derived from our animals, producers of white gold, a milk with unsuspected benefits.
– A lot of sharing at neighborhood parties in various towns in our conurbation.
– Our participation in several Maghrebian weddings was an emotional experience.
– A little religious touch: thanks to our dromedaries, the three Wise Men were able to meet the Holy Child 9 times in 9 different villages and cribs over two years.
– The exotic touch we’ve shared at seminars, family reunions, end-of-year parties and other festive occasions.
All of us, members of the association, have wonderful memories of all those moments of sharing, sharing that was made possible thanks to our animals.
We remember meeting a small group of autistic people on an outing near Lille. With fear in our stomachs, we decided to let them enjoy this moment of animal exchange as much as we did. What a pleasure it was for us when the educators were able to show us the change in behavior of their young protégés, what a pleasure it was to see and understand, without words, the place our animals had just taken for these youngsters whose communication was so difficult.
We could also mention this 97-year-old lady who didn’t want to leave this world without having experienced the moment of madness of riding one of our animals. The crowds that have repeatedly cheered us on at municipal parades. This inter-racial meeting in the middle of Aulnay sous-Bois, where our skin color has disappeared behind our animals.
At the 2018 edition of the Salon International de l’Agriculture in Paris, we were able to experience our integration into the world of agriculture, where we met nearly 700,000 people during the 2018 edition.
The show allowed us to open our virtual doors to a whole international population, and to get feedback we didn’t even expect…
– An economic interest that remains undecipherable to this day, when we hear certain Maghreb countries asking us to export seeds and embryos from healthy, pure-bred animals, and realize that our European population, thanks to the health policy we’ve implemented, will eventually become the world’s genetic source for camelid preservation (let’s not forget that, unlike the dromedary, the camel has a distant wild cousin whose populations are in decline).
– Recognition for our animals other than as circus animals. – A flood of journalists throughout the year who, from the doorstep of my village, were able to report to the public on the story of our association and our animals.
– The opportunity to let ordinary people taste camel’s milk, explain all its benefits (the closest milk to human milk, allergen-free, rich in omega 3 and 6…), and present its application in the form of soap.
– In 2018, we will be present at Terres en fête, as well as Ferme en ville, organized this year in Maubeuge.
In the will to achieve them all,
it’s really hard to choose
who will be the first to be realized!
As passionate as we all are (the association currently has some forty members from 4 different countries), and even if the JACO company has made a huge difference in providing the animals, site, equipment and vehicles, we have to make do with an associative budget. To date, we’ve never asked for any subsidies, and any income, and therefore any investment, has only come from the fruits of our labor, after everyone’s work, by taking part in events or selling our soaps. Eventually, we hope to be able to own our own dairy so that the benefits of our products can be enjoyed on a larger scale. At present, the only European structure is located in the Netherlands, with 80 camels, and is unable to meet the high demand for milk.
This medical alternative, like equitherapy, is a non-conventional therapeutic approach that complements medical care. It takes into account the patient’s physical and psychological entity, and uses the animal as a medium and therapeutic partner to achieve objectives set according to the therapist’s specialty. According to some studies, which our experience supports, using a camel or dromedary would bring much better results than a horse, simply because our humpbacks are curious animals who act in front of you with full awareness and without withdrawal.
Horses remain shy animals, subject to the quality of training you’ve given them. The dromedary takes you into his environment: you have no choice but to greet him when he smells you with the tip of his prehensile lips.
This behavior forces the mentally impaired to let themselves be carried by the animal, and the trust between the two becomes instinctive.
Our project for 2019 is to be able to welcome you directly to our home, because being able to welcome you remains the essential step from which all our opportunities to expand our circle of camel friends will flow.
In addition to covering the substantial costs of maintaining the animals, Mr. Julien Job provides a 5-hectare site between Maubeuge and Feignies. There are several farm buildings on the land, used to house animals, farm equipment and fodder. We need to build a reception hall (and all the amenities that go with it) that will enable us, from this spring, to respond positively to your schools, day-care centers and medical institutes when the desire to meet us becomes important to them. In this way, we can explain the advantages of our animals to your children on school outings, and among those I haven’t mentioned yet, we can add the following:
– Farming in harmony with nature, since our animals’ impressive metabolisms mean that they need very little food to survive, so we have no need to resort to chemical products.
– Our animals love weeds that our local animals refuse to eat, such as thistles, nettles and dock, and are perfect for pruning trees and hedges, without ever reaching the vital core of the plant and causing it to die… no pesticides!
– The ability to be trained as easily and as precisely as dressage horses
– A reliable source of woolly fibers of superior quality to alpaca, which explains the manufacture of a hat, for example.
Thanks to this site, and in a future a little too distant for our liking, we can aspire to form a jockey team and open the door to the sporting world. We will then be able to respond to requests from race organizers in countries such as Qatar, who wish to organize international meetings during their renowned camel races.
Or simply share one of the moments of happiness and simplicity that we bring to your birthday!
Jalna, her girlfriends and the whole camelerie team are really counting on you to make this project a reality, so that, like the rest of us, you can identify with this crazy but realistic adventure.