One of the first depictions of this imperial animals on Tuvan territory was found by archeologists in the district of Upper Yenisei. An ancient artist engraved the drawing of a camel already in the first century before our era.

The camel - "teve" - is mentioned many times in Tuvan folk epics, where the animal is compared to the hero-warrior, whose nostrils spout smoke, and whose step shakes and crumbles mountains. There have always been camels in Tuva. Nevertheless, they remain, and probably will remain exotic even for Tuvan residents for many years to come.