Too Many Camels: Australia Considers Helicopter Sharpshooters and Camel Burgers to Control Population Explosion
Controversial proposals by the Australian government would mean shooting more than 650,000 camels from helicopters - and even making camel burgers.
Camels have become a problem in Australia’s remote Outback.
There are now about a million camels, and the population doubles every nine years. The animals were introduced to the Australia in the 1840’s by explorers who relied on them to journey through the desert. But now, camels are competing with livestock for food - and are apparently scaring people by destroying water pipes and bathrooms as they search for water.
Sky News has reported that the Australian government believes the population needs to be culled by two thirds - and they have a budget of $19 million AUD to take care of the situation.
That means the mass killing of more than 650,000 camels.
- » See also: On the Brink of Extinction: Call to Close Cruel and Inhumane Tiger Farms
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Opposition to the slaughter
Pointing out that the population will simply double again, camel exporter Paddy McHugh believes the mass killing is short-sighted.
What happens in 15 years when the numbers come back again? Do we waste another $20 million?
Apparently, capturing and exporting hundreds of thousands of camels is just not realistic, according to President of the Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia. He explained that camels grow to about 2.1 meters tall (7 feet) and weigh 900 kilograms (2,000 pounds).
The option of birth control was suggested by Mark Pearson, executive director of the animal welfare group Animal Liberation New South Wales, noting that it would be more humane than killing them.
And last month in The Australian, entrepreneurs argued that camels should be harvested for their meat - and that camel meat represents a potential billion-dollar market, plus job creation for indigenous people.
Even CNBC personalities Erin Burnett and Jim Cramer took a swipe (of sorts) at the camel killing. Apparently, in a CNBC segment, Burnett called Australia’s Prime Minster Kevin Rudd a “serial killer” and Cramer said the action was a case of “camelcide.”
Although later, Burnett said the comment about the Prime Minister and the camel culling was a “deadpan” joke about a “complicated issue”, and invited the PM to appear on her show.
Brutal - yet humane?
CEO of the University of Canberra’s Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Center Tony Peacock declared that although being shot from a helicopter sounds brutal, it is actually humane:
If I was a camel, I’d prefer to just get it in the head.
Indeed.
Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/marfis75/ / CC BY-SA 2.0
anotke!
As camel milk is in short supply and high demand globally, due to it’s medicinal properties and recently publicized research to verify it’s nutritional and antigen composition.
Why is there not simply a round up and proposal for ranchers to take on the responsibility for the animals and start Camel Dairies. Australia would also be an ideal global trading partner for the breeding that will also be in higher demand in the coming years.
There are certainly more creative solutions. This is only one.
at those talking about “birth control” and “simply rounding the camels up” or whatever - you obviously have NO IDEA about the dimensions of this problem! The camels are spread over an area larger than most countries on this planet. Literally MILLIONS of square kilometers. There are no or few roads, and the areas in between them are so rough that you can not drive even a 4WD vehicle there.
How would you administer birth control to half a million camels in that kind of terrain? Spray magic birth control juice from airplanes?
How long would it take to catch and treat every (female?) camel, how much would it cost, and how effective would it be - considering that camels can live 30 years.
There are many “creative” solutions, unfortunately I’ve yet to hear one that would actually work.
How does Camel burgers taste and are the high in nutrition?
Camel Taxis would be cool.
Camels are exellent offroad creatures and could be great for touring the outback for turists etc..
There must be many ways of expolring and utilizing all those camels to benefit the country.
Id like to fly out from Denmark and see and learn more…
Best Wishes from the cold North Called Denmark.