NC Woman Struggles to Get Camel Dairy Over the Hump

Millie Hinkle loves camel milk, and thinks the rest of America should, too. “It’s taken over my life,” she says. That’s why she’s drained her savings, cut down her day-job hours and devoted herself to opening the US’ first camel dairy, the Wall Street Journal reports. Regulatory issues are one obstacle; there also aren’t many camels in the US—and camels hate being milked.

Camel udders are ticklish, and the oft-ornery beasts are prone to lying down mid-milking. But the milk’s extremely popular across the Middle East, where it’s purported to increase virility and help heal the sick, among other mystical powers. Hinkle says she’s working to procure suitable milking camels. “I have to try to do what I can to help the most people,” she says. “And for me, this is it.” (More camels stories.)