Damon Mcknight
Australia is home to the world's largest camel herd, with hundreds of thousands of camels roaming the outback. Camels were first introduced to Australia in the 1840s as beasts of burden for exploration and development in arid areas. They were mainly dromedaries, ideally suited to the climate of the Australian interior, with the ability to go weeks without water. By the 1920s and 1930s, many camels were released into the wild due to the increasing use of motor vehicles, resulting in a fast-growing feral population. Today, camels can be found in various parts of Australia, including Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory, with a significant presence in the country's desert regions.
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What You'll Learn
- Camels were introduced to Australia in the 1840s as beasts of burden
- They are mainly dromedaries, but some are Bactrian camels
- Camels have a profound impact on native wildlife and their grazing lands
- They damage stock fences, pipes, and waterholes
- Camels are managed through trapping, mustering, and culling
Camels were introduced to Australia in the 1840s as beasts of burden
Camels, synonymous with the Middle East, were introduced to Australia in the 1840s as beasts of burden for exploration and development in arid areas. They were imported from British India, Afghanistan, and the Arabian Peninsula. Camels were ideally suited to the Australian climate as they could go for weeks without water and had the stamina and strength to carry loads. By the mid-1890s, more than 4,500 camels had been introduced, primarily to the goldfields of Central Australia and Western Australia.
The use of camels in Australia declined in the early 20th century with the advent of motorised transport, leading to many camels being released into the wild. This resulted in a fast-growing feral population that negatively impacted the environment, agriculture, and local culture. Camels directly compete with native animals like kangaroos and koalas for food and water, and they damage waterholes and cultural sites that are important to Aboriginal people.
Feral camels are primarily found in the deserts of Central Australia, covering an area of 3.3 million square kilometres across Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory. They are highly mobile and may forage over 70 kilometres per day. Camels live for up to 50 years and can breed actively for 30 years, contributing to the rapid growth of their population.
Management of the feral camel population in Australia has been a challenge. The Australian government has endorsed control plans such as the Australian Feral Camel Management Project, which aims to reduce camel densities through culling and mustering the animals for sale. While some see this as a necessary step to protect the environment and grazing lands, others criticise it as a "bloodbath".
Today, camels in Australia are utilised for commercial purposes such as camel dairies and the export of game meat, live animals, and camel products. Despite their introduction having negative consequences, camels have become an integral part of Australia's ecosystem and economy.
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They are mainly dromedaries, but some are Bactrian camels
Camels are not native to Australia. The species was introduced in 1840 as arid-land pack animals for exploration and, later, transportation. The first camel arrived in Australia in 1840, ordered from the Canary Islands by the Phillips brothers of Adelaide. The surviving camel was named Harry and was used for inland exploration. The first major inland expedition to use camels as a main form of transport was the Burke and Wills expedition in 1860.
By the early 20th century, camels were being replaced with motorized vehicles. By 1940, many camels had been released to roam freely in the Australian outback. The released camels thrived, and by 2008, the number of wild camels exceeded one million animals—more than all the wild camel species combined throughout the rest of the world.
Camels are known to be aggressive when they encounter herds of domestic livestock, such as cattle, sheep, and goats. They can also be dangerously territorial towards people, especially females with newborn calves and males in their rut. In general, the mating season is known as a hazardous time to be close to camels.
Camels found in Australia are mainly dromedaries, but some are Bactrian camels. Dromedaries were first suggested to be imported to Australia in 1822 by Danish-French geographer Conrad Malte-Brun and later in 1839 by Lieutenant-Colonel George Gawler, the second Governor of South Australia. The Bactrian camels, or two-humped camels, are said to have been introduced from the Gobi Desert, although this has not been observed.
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Camels have a profound impact on native wildlife and their grazing lands
Camels were first introduced to Australia in the 1840s as beasts of burden for exploration and development in arid areas. They were imported from the Canary Islands, Afghanistan, British India, and the Middle East, North Africa, and the Indian Subcontinent. By the 1890s, more than 4500 camels had been introduced for use in the goldfields of Central Australia and Western Australia. However, when motorised transport became common in the early 20th century, many camels were released into the wild, resulting in a fast-growing feral population.
Camels have had a significant impact on the native wildlife and their grazing lands in Australia. They are known to compete with endemic animals such as kangaroos, koalas, and other marsupials for food and water. Camels can survive without water for extended periods by using the fat reserves stored in their hump. However, when water is available, even a small herd can consume a significant amount, leaving little for other animals and creating an environment that fosters pathogens. Camels are also known to damage waterholes, making them unsafe for drinking.
In addition to competing for food and water, camels also directly impact native wildlife through their aggressive behaviour. They are known to be aggressive towards domestic livestock, such as cattle, sheep, and goats, and can be dangerously territorial towards people, especially during mating season. This behaviour has been reported by pastoralists, representatives from the Central Land Council, and Aboriginal landholders in the affected areas.
Camels also have a profound impact on the grazing lands and the local environment. They ingest more than 80% of the plant species available, leading to serious degradation of the environment when densities exceed two animals per square kilometre. This has particularly affected some traditional food plants harvested by Aboriginal people, such as the quandong or native peach, curly pod wattle, bean tree, plumbush, and supplejack. Camels are also known to destabilise dune crests, contributing to soil erosion and damaging fragile salt lake ecosystems. The economic cost of grazing land loss and damage by feral camels has been estimated at 10 million Australian dollars.
To manage the impact of feral camels, the Australian government has implemented various control plans, including the Australian Feral Camel Management Project and the National Feral Camel Action Plan. These plans aim to reduce camel densities through culling, mustering, and trapping. However, the management of feral camels is challenging due to the large areas they cover and the buffer zones needed to protect environmentally sensitive areas.
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They damage stock fences, pipes, and waterholes
Camels were first imported to Australia in the 1840s as beasts of burden for exploration and development in arid areas. By the mid-1890s, more than 4500 camels had been introduced for use in the goldfields of Central Australia and Western Australia. However, with the introduction of motorised transportation in the 1920s and 1930s, many camels were released into the wild, resulting in a fast-growing feral population.
Today, camels roam freely across an area of 3.3 million square kilometres, encompassing the states of Western Australia, South Australia, and Queensland, as well as the Northern Territory. They are highly mobile and can travel more than 40 miles in a day. They are mainly dromedaries, but some are Bactrian camels.
Feral camels have numerous ecological, agricultural, and social impacts. They compete with native Australian species for food and water, and their aggressive behaviour towards domestic livestock and humans poses a danger. They also damage infrastructure, including stock fences, pipes, and waterholes.
Lyndee Severin, who runs a one-million-acre ranch west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, has experienced firsthand the damage that camels can inflict. "They do a lot of damage to infrastructure for us, so there's a lot of damage to fences. They break tanks, they break pumps, they break pipes, they break fences - fences have been our biggest concern," she says. This damage can be especially costly for remote communities, including Aboriginal communities, where repairs may be prohibitive.
In addition to the economic impact on individuals and communities, feral camels also have ecological consequences. They foul waterholes, making the water unsafe for drinking by other animals and creating a pathogen-fostering environment. They also destabilise dune crests, contributing to soil erosion, and have a noticeable impact on salt lake ecosystems.
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Camels are managed through trapping, mustering, and culling
Camels were first imported to Australia in the 1840s as beasts of burden for exploration and development in arid areas. By the 1890s, more than 4,500 camels had been introduced for use in the goldfields of Central Australia and Western Australia. However, many were released into the wild after motorised transport negated their use in the early 20th century. This resulted in a fast-growing feral population with numerous ecological, agricultural, and social impacts.
Camels are known to cause serious degradation of local environmental and cultural sites, particularly during dry conditions. They compete with endemic animals such as kangaroos and other marsupials for food and water, and they damage native vegetation and cultural sites. They are also known to be aggressive when they encounter herds of domestic livestock, and they can be dangerously territorial towards people.
To mitigate these issues, camels are managed through trapping, mustering, and culling. Trapping involves capturing camels at watering points, while mustering involves rounding them up and selling them. In 2010, the Australian government endorsed the Australian Feral Camel Management Project, which aimed to reduce camel densities through culling and mustering the animals for sale. This project faced criticism from some parts of the Australian camel industry, who wanted to see the feral population harvested for meat processing or live export. However, it was successful in reducing the feral camel population by 160,000 camels between 2009 and 2013, with an estimated 300,000 camels remaining.
Culling is often carried out by professional shooters in helicopters, in accordance with animal welfare standards. This method can be humane when performed by experienced and skilled shooters and pilots, and it is more effective than ground culling, which can be hazardous and less accurate.
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Frequently asked questions
Camels are found roaming freely across an area of 3.3 million sq km in Australia, encompassing the states of Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory. They are mainly found in the outback.
There are thought to be around 750,000 camels roaming in the outback, making it the biggest wild herd in the world. The government-supported website Feral Scan estimates the number to be between 1 and 1.2 million, with this amount doubling every 8 to 10 years.
No, camels are not native to Australia. They were first imported to Australia in the 1840s as beasts of burden for exploration and development in arid areas.
