Species
Feral or Arabian Camel (Camelus dromedarius)
As the common name suggests, the Arabian camel was originally confined to Arabia. Australia may now have the largest wild population of camels. They occupy most of Australia’s desert country including the Great Sandy, Gibson, Great Victoria and Simpson deserts, as well as much of the semi-desert lands. Camels were first introduced into Australia in the 1840’s to assist in the exploration of inland Australia. Between 1840 and 1907, between 10,000 and 20,000 camels were imported from India with an estimated 50-65% landed in South Australia. It is not known when the first feral population established but some escaped during the Burke and Wills expedition in 1860. The feral animal population increased substantially after the 1920’s with the population estimated to be in the order of 300,000 in 2003.
Camels are highly mobile and may forage over 70 kilometres per day. They form a range of groups from bachelor groups, which young males join after their second year, adult females and their newborn and family groups containing up to 30 adult females along with their one and two year old offspring. Feral aggregations of up to 500 individuals have been recorded in Australia. Like feral horses, female camels usually give birth to one young every second year. Hence they do not have a high potential rate of increase but this is compensated to some extent by their longevity, up to 50 years, and few morality factors, other than by human intervention.
Camels are selective feeders with a preference for shrubs and trees browse rather than grasses. They can go for long periods without needing to drink, but during the heat of summer they will drink every day if water is available.
There is little data in the damage that camels cause although, like other wild feral and native herbivores, they undoubtedly add to the total grazing impact with the damage likely to be most severe during and coming out of drought. This is of major concern to pastoralists that wish to conserve scarce pasture for their breed stock. They also destroy fences and are a potential carrier of exotic diseases that are a threat to stock should these diseases ever establish in Australia. Given their adaptation to desert conditions, camels are likely to cause less damage to native vegetation than species such as feral horses, feral donkeys and domestic stock which usually are more concentrated around water points during extended dry periods. Camels are of concern to indigenous communities because they can foul water holes and damage ceremonial art and other cultural sites that are often associated with water holes.
The primary forms of management are trapping at water points, muster and shooting. There is a rapidly expanding industry based on camels, primarily for game meat, although some are also taken for live export and for use in the tourist industry. Fences that exclude camels but allow free access of native wildlife has been used to reduce their damage to key waterholes.
Farmnote 122/2000, Feral Camel, Agriculture Western Australia.
Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory. Arabian Camel (Camelus dromedarius).
Wilson, G., Dexter, N., O’Brien, P. and Bomford, M. (1992) Pest animals in Australia – a survey of introduced wild animals. Bureau of Rural Sciences and Kangaroo Press.
