What it is
The camelids people keep are the dromedary and the Bactrian camel (Camelus), the llama (Lama glama), and the alpaca (Vicugna pacos). The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations marked 2024 as the International Year of Camelids.
Range
Camels live in dry Asia and Africa, and now in Australia. Llamas and alpacas live in the Andes, with export herds elsewhere.
What happened
People domesticated Old World camels and Andean camelids as pack, fibre, milk, and meat animals of dry and high country. The 2024 International Year of Camelids asked governments to treat those herds as a food-and-culture system.
When / status
Living domesticates. The International Year of Camelids was 2024.
Human role
We keep camels, llamas, and alpacas as working and fibre animals of dry and mountain lands.
Sources
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, International Year of Camelids 2024.