Camels in the outback
When most people think of wildlife in Australia they think of kangaroos, koalas or dangerous snakes – but not camels. But Australia has the biggest population of wild camels in the world. In 2010 about 750,000 camels were roaming wild over large areas of the outback. And their numbers have caused a lot of problems.
Camels were first brought to Australia in the mid-1800s. Explorers and settlers saw them as the perfect animal for transport and heavy work (see the box). Most of Australia’s outback is desert, and camels are desert animals, so they felt at home there. They came from India, Palestine and Afghanistan. Australians later bred their own camels too so that the number grew to about 15,000.
Camels and their skilled drivers, the cameleers, who came mostly from Afghanistan, became the heroes of the outback. Without them, key projects like the first overland telegraph line and the Transcontinental Railway Line would not have been possible.
But in the early 1900s motorized transport arrived. With new roads, railway lines and airstrips the camels were no longer needed. Thousands of them were set free in Australian deserts.
The camels have done very well on their own – too well, in fact. Living in huge areas with no natural enemies, their numbers have grown and grown. Now they’re out of control.
The camels have a huge effect on wild areas, Outback communities and cattle stations. Explorer and writer Simon Reeve says, “One of the biggest problems is that they drink large amounts of water and cause millions of pounds worth of damage to farms and waterholes that are used for cattle.”
When they are thirsty, the camels stop at nothing. “They break tanks, they break pumps, they break pipes, they break fences,” says Lyndee Severin, a rancher near Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.
They hurt the native ecosystem, too, by eating many of the plants that are an important food for native animals like kangaroos, small birds and reptiles.
Severin’s solution is to shoot the animals and leave them where they lay. “It’s not something we enjoy doing, but we have to do it,” she says. Ian Conway, another rancher near Alice Springs, believes that he’s found a profitable way to manage camel numbers. Using helicopters and special off-road vehicles, his team rounds up the camels and sells them for their meat. “There’s no difference to camels and beef,” he says. He also sells them as riding camels.
In 2010 the Australian Feral Camel Management Project began controlling populations partly by killing and partly by catching the camels and selling them. The animal rights group Animals Australia was against the project, but the RSPCA Australia says the programme used “the most humane methods available”. The project was effective: by 2013 the number of wild camels was down to about 300,000.
When most people think of wildlife in Australia they think of kangaroos, koalas or dangerous snakes – but not camels. But Australia has the biggest population of wild camels in the world. In 2010 about 750,000 camels were roaming wild over large areas of the outback. And their numbers have caused a lot of problems.
Camels were first brought to Australia in the mid-1800s. Explorers and settlers saw them as the perfect animal for transport and heavy work (see the box). Most of Australia’s outback is desert, and camels are desert animals, so they felt at home there. They came from India, Palestine and Afghanistan. Australians later bred their own camels too so that the number grew to about 15,000.
Camels and their skilled drivers, the cameleers, who came mostly from Afghanistan, became the heroes of the outback. Without them, key projects like the first overland telegraph line and the Transcontinental Railway Line would not have been possible.
But in the early 1900s motorized transport arrived. With new roads, railway lines and airstrips the camels were no longer needed. Thousands of them were set free in Australian deserts.
The camels have done very well on their own – too well, in fact. Living in huge areas with no natural enemies, their numbers have grown and grown. Now they’re out of control.
The camels have a huge effect on wild areas, Outback communities and cattle stations. Explorer and writer Simon Reeve says, “One of the biggest problems is that they drink large amounts of water and cause millions of pounds worth of damage to farms and waterholes that are used for cattle.”
When they are thirsty, the camels stop at nothing. “They break tanks, they break pumps, they break pipes, they break fences,” says Lyndee Severin, a rancher near Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.
They hurt the native ecosystem, too, by eating many of the plants that are an important food for native animals like kangaroos, small birds and reptiles.
Severin’s solution is to shoot the animals and leave them where they lay. “It’s not something we enjoy doing, but we have to do it,” she says. Ian Conway, another rancher near Alice Springs, believes that he’s found a profitable way to manage camel numbers. Using helicopters and special off-road vehicles, his team rounds up the camels and sells them for their meat. “There’s no difference to camels and beef,” he says. He also sells them as riding camels.
In 2010 the Australian Feral Camel Management Project began controlling populations partly by killing and partly by catching the camels and selling them. The animal rights group Animals Australia was against the project, but the RSPCA Australia says the programme used “the most humane methods available”. The project was effective: by 2013 the number of wild camels was down to about 300,000.
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• Camels can go without water for a long time.
• They can eat most plants that grow in Australian deserts.
• Camels have huge feet for walking on soft sand. Who needs roads?
• They can carry up to 600 kg.
• Camels have a long working life – they can go until they’re at least forty.
4|WRITING: A high school year
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