Australia to cull 6,000 camels in Outback

[CatWoman]

Australian authorities are preparing to round up with helicopters a 6,000-strong herd of wild camels terrorising a remote Outback community and shoot them dead in the desert.

Protracted drought has brought what has been described as a 'biblical' camel plague into the Docker River township in search of water, leaving residents cowering in their homes as they have smashed through water mains and invaded the airstrip.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/6661431/Australia-to-cull-6000-camels-in-Outback.html

[nsd]

1. I didn't know Australia even had camels.

Learn something new everyday, I guess.

[AllentownJake]

4. I'm pretty sure they aren't native

Kind of like the wild horses. Big desert in the middle of your country, importing camels before the invention of the internal combustion engine probably was a good idea.

[nsd]

5. Thanks, that makes sense. /nt

[CatWoman]

6. they are not native

they were imported in to help explorers navigate the desert.

[AllentownJake]

undomesticated camels roaming in a herd

the domesticated ones are nasty as it is....one bit me in the ass when I was a kid.

[CatWoman]

9. why did your post conjur up the image of Conan the Barbarian

punching out a camel? :)

[AllentownJake]

10. I was 6

my reaction unfortunately was to cry and run to my mom.

[CatWoman]

13. awwww

:hug:

[Warpy]

12. They tried them in the US west, too

but found oxen to be more cost effective since they could draw wagons instead of just bear packs.

[obliviously]

18. Cows can draw!

Fascinating!

[HopeHoops]

2. Sponsored by Outback Steak House

Camels, kangaroos - what's the difference?

Meat's meat, eh mate?

[CatWoman]

7. the plan is to let the carcasses rot in the desert.

[Tim01]

15. And next it will be the vulture plague. nt

[smalll]

3. Outback? It was always overpriced -- trying to pawn off camel steaks on people

at those prices, that might be the final staw. A "Blooming Onion" only goes so far!

[BrklynLiberal]

8. They brought the camels there....

Once again, Mother Nature is letting mankind know that she is not to be trifled with!!

An estimated 10,000 to 12,000 Camels, imported into Australia between 1860 and 1907, were used as draft and riding animals by people pioneering the dry interior.

http://www.camelfarm.com/camels/camels_australia.html

info here as well...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_feral_camel


They did the same thing with rabbits...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbits_in_Australia

[msongs]

11. wikipedia = 1 million camels doubling every 9 years = a huge disaster nt

[Tim01]

14. Is there any kind of a plague they havn't had? Rabbits, mice.......

now camels.

Good grief.

[AllentownJake]

16. Introduce a non domestic species into a new eco-system they didn't evolve in

and you have trouble when the eco-system has not yet developed a control for said species.

[Tim01]

17. They should get some tigers and lions to take care of the camels.

That'll fix the problem.

[obliviously]

19. No they need better recipes.

[AllentownJake]

20. But what do we do when we are over run by tigers

I'm remembering a Simpson episode here.

[CatWoman]

26. GORILLAS!!

:)

[lob1]

21. Toads, too. Really big toads.

60 Minutes did a piece about it a few years ago.

[Vinnie From Indy]

22. I think it was the American Bullfrog

The American Bullfrog has invaded Australia.

[A HERETIC I AM]

24. You're thinking of Cane Toads (Bufo Marinus) which are native to South and Central America...

NOT native to North America OR Australia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_toad#Australia

[thelordofhell]

23. Don't forget about feral cats

Too many cat lovers around the world don't know that they are devestating Australia's native and unique species.

[Warpy]

25. Cane toads have got to be the worst

and there's no way to put that genie back in the bottle. They'll have to wait for a predator to evolve, the food supply to collapse, or an opportunistic virus to hit.