Animals and Arid Conditions: 
Physiological Aspects 
of Productivity and Management 
KNUT SCHMIDT-NiELSEN* 
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 
The rapidly increasing amount of scientific information about 
animals in arid climates now permits some general conclusions 
which can provide a fruitful basis for further research on the 
practical aspects of animal management and production. 
From results obtained in recent research emerge principles 
which could be easily applied to the thinking and the projects of 
the practical research worker, and also by those concerned with 
planning the future of arid lands and their populations. It is 
evident that no more can the fate of man be left to chance. The 
scientist’s responsibility is to make his conclusions available so 
that his hypothesis can be put to the hard and rigorous test of 
practical use. This paper is presented in the hope that it may 
clarify how simple reasoning may transform scientific facts into 
practical considerations. 
How Can Animal Production Be Increased2 
The yield of animal products can be increased in a number of 
different ways, well known, but not always well practiced where 
* The research on the physiology of the camel was done as teamwork 
with my wife, Dr. Bodil Schmidt-Nielsen, and our collaborators Dr. 
T. R. Houpt and Dr. S. A. Jarnum. It received financial support from 
UNESCO, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, and 
from scientific agencies of the United States Government. 
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