Pack animal

 ( Domesticated Animals ) 

A pack animal, also known as a sumpter animal or beast of burden, is a working animal used to transport goods or materials by carrying them, usually on its back.

of many species are used in this way, among them , , , dromedaries, gayal, pack goat, packhorse, , , reindeer, and domestic yak.

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Diversity Traditional pack animals include ungulates such as , the domestic yak, reindeer, pack goat, , and llama, and domesticated members of the Equidae including packhorse, , and . Occasionally, Drafting dog can be used to carry small loads.

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Pack animals by region

• Arctic – reindeer and
• Central Africa and Southern Africa – oxen, ,
• Eurasia – , oxen, Packhorse,
• Central Asia – , Domestic yak, horses, ,
• South Asia and Southeast Asia – , Domestic yak,
• North America – Packhorse, , , Pack goat
• North Africa and Middle East – Dromedary, Packhorse, , , oxen
• Oceania – , Packhorse, Dromedary, , oxen
• South America – , ,

File:Eylcamel.jpg|A nomad's pack camel in Eyl, Somalia File:Reindeer and pack, with Lapp driver.jpg|Pack reindeer with Sami people driver from The land of the midnight sun, c. 1881 File:Fleischextrakt 0002773 m.jpg|1900 advertisement showing pack in Tibet File:Lloyd the Llama.jpg|Pack llama, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Bimanees met lastkarbouwen Res. Timor Soembawa TMnr 10013888.jpg|Pack domestic buffalo, Sumbawa, Indonesia, early 20th century File:Pack donkeys, Bucks Mills, Devon.jpg|Pack donkeys, Devon, England, c. 1906

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Uses Hauling of goods in wagons with horses and oxen gradually displaced the use of packhorses, which had been important until the Middle Ages, by the sixteenth century.

T. H. Aston (2006). 9780521031271, Cambridge University Press. . ISBN 9780521031271

Pack animals may be fitted with and may also carry . Alternatively, a pair of weighted materials (often placed symmetrically) are called Pannier.

While traditional usage of pack animals by nomadic tribespeople is declining, a new market is growing in the tourist expeditions industry in regions such as the High Atlas mountains of Morocco, allowing visitors the comfort of backpacking with animals. The use of pack animals "is considered a valid means of viewing and experiencing" some in America, subject to guidelines and closed areas.

In the 21st century, special forces have received guidance on the use of horses, mules, llamas, camels, dogs, and elephants as pack animals.

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Load carrying capacity The maximum load for a camel is roughly .

Yaks are loaded differently according to region. In Sichuan, is carried for in 6 hours. In Qinghai, at altitude, packs of up to are routinely carried, while up to is carried by the heaviest steers for short periods.

Llamas can carry roughly a quarter of their body weight, so an adult male of can carry some .

Loads for equids are disputed. The US Army specifies a maximum of 20 percent of body weight for mules walking up to a day in mountains, giving a load of up to about . However an 1867 text mentioned a load of up to . In India, the prevention of cruelty rules (1965) limit mules to and ponies to .

Reindeer can carry up to for a prolonged period in mountains.

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See also

• Pack station
• Camel train
• Arriero

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External links

• Llama Backpacking Documentary produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting

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