“Camels attract, they act as mediators between humans and nature,” says Coralie Le Meur, co-founder of the Dromasud farm and a dromedary breeder in Hérault. Two of her animals, Lili and Touareg, roam the beach at Frontignan during the summer holidays, one Saturday every 15 days, with the approval of the town hall, which wants to raise awareness among tourists about respecting the environment.
Raising awareness with animals
With their bags slung on their backs, the dromedaries are looking for waste to collect from holidaymakers, who are surprised to come across such an animal far from the African deserts. “It was a crazy experience at first,” explains Jean-Louis Molto, elected to the Frontignan town hall, who highlights the fun side of the approach.
“It allows us to get in touch with children to teach them how to sort. What better way than through animals to teach us to respect nature?” confirms Coralie Le Meur.
Last Saturday, Touareg, a 16-year-old male dromedary, and Lili, a four-year-old female, aroused the curiosity of holidaymakers, who were encouraged to throw their rubbish in bags bearing the city’s logo and placed on the animals’ sides.
“It’s amazing,” says Luc Rivière, 64, in a swimsuit and sunglasses, who came to drop off two empty bottles in a bag carried by a Touareg. He adds: “I think it can motivate people to be careful, motivate them to do what is necessary to keep a clean beach.” “I’ve never seen one!” exclaims a little girl in a pink swimsuit. “It doesn’t smell good,” comments another young vacationer, bursting into laughter.
Clearing the Beach Bins
Once their passage on the beach is over, Lili and Touareg head towards one of the parallel streets, where the sorting bins are located. Their bags are emptied and their contents distributed in the corresponding containers. If the volume is significant, the exact number of kilos thus collected is currently being studied by the town hall.
“Before, we had trash cans on the beach,” continues Jean-Louis Molto, the elected official from Frontignan. “But once they were full, people would put their bags of trash next to them. The seagulls would come and burst them and the wind would blow everything back into the sea. So it seemed important to us to move these trash cans (Editor’s note: on the seafront road) and add selective sorting.”
Accompanied by their guides through the city, the two dromedaries only have to return on foot to their farm, satisfied with a day “where everyone felt useful”, explains their owner.
“The dromedary is the champion of savings and resources,” insists Cécile Le Meur, 55, co-founder of the Dromasud farm with her daughter Coralie: “It’s an animal that doesn’t drink much, is hyper-adapted to heat, knows how to walk perfectly in the sand, and therefore lends itself almost naturally to picking up waste on the beach.”
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