Outback camel population

You are right, the feral camel numbers do need to be reduced. Agree we shouldn't solve one problem and create another, no point in just leaving the carcases where they drop.
Either everyone shot gets taken to an abbotoir for either human or pet consumption, or the other alternative is to export the carcases or live export the animal.
Btw, I like cats, wanna swap recipes?

Cheers,
Dion.

even if you had volunteers such as ssaa hunting & conservation doing the shooting the cost of getting them to a chiller or a chiller to them, and then back for processing and possible export etc etc is going to be prohibitive.

When cut open (belly split almost full length) and left to the elements maggots consume most of the waste and in a very short time....fox'es cats get their fill but its only temporary supply of food/carrion.

a helping and possible answer?...get a gun and go hunting ferals (four legged kind), and even possibly join the SSAA Hunting and Conservation in your state. In SA you get the opportunity to shoot in National Parks participating in feral pest culls. Species predominately include goats, cats, foxes, dogs and can even include camels and donkeys.

G'day Pop, that is a lot of camels. As stated it is not economically viable to
harvest anywhere near the numbers needed to make any difference. I doubt
Govt will take any interest unless human activities are threatened, such as the
recent cull in Central Aust. Can you envisage a fleet of choppers gunning them
down at the western fringes of Alice? The tv mob would love it. One imagines
a natural population ceiling will occur when their food/water needs exceed what
is available, but what will the numbers be by then ? Or will they then migrate to the populated area where such things are plentiful. The greenies have made
wearing fox & rabbit fur sinful, Akubra dont make hats out of rabbit skins now,
& no one eats them much...so no money in either of them now. Poor farmers
are still obliged to control them either by law or to protect their livliehood. I guess
the camel can be added to the list of introduced animals that cost this country
a fortune, with camels perhaps the biggest cost is yet to come. cheers...oldbaz.

A majour cull from the air is the only way to reduce the population.
This is how the NT buffs were controlled.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome

Dion is very much on the right track, it is time the federal gov. Do something useful for this country before any further expansion of the nude desert, we have a resource that could be harvested and the excess could be exported, I know that at the moment it may not be a viable operation, but if it was TAX exempt, it would have to include fuel tax, I would be the first to invest in it.
It would not cost anything to the gov; in fact it would save the $ 19 M that they are about squander as rightly so someone pointed out only would benefit cat, dingos, and fox, without solving the problem.
The history tells us it is not going to happen

G'day Pop
Well mate you have opened a veritable can of worms, or is that maggots.

The Feral animal populations, throughout Australia has climbed in numbers over the years, a great deal of the population increase can be fairly put onto the shoulders of the various State Governments and the Federal Government for their in action, but blame can also be attributed to the "Bleeding Heart" brigade who wrongly believe the feral animals should be left alone.

Western Australia's wheat farmers are now facing a very real problem with the Long and Short billed Corellas, these little buggers~on their own are quite cute but in massive numbers they can destroy not only vegetation but also ~ soft infrastructure, such as electrical wiring, shade cloth, car widscreen wiper blades etc.

These birds have migrated from the inland regions in huge flocks, the Pilbara town of Newman had major dramas with these little buggers, the local authorities had a program called "Bird Scare" put in place~all that did was shift the bird population somewhere else.

We used to get Camel and horses wander into the town and gnaw away on the nice green lawns of the sports fields years ago, but the mining expansions have driven these animals deeper into the wilderness.

I know what the answer is ~ but the Government of the day took my firearm off me ~ because of the Port Arthur shootings.

Teach the Japs to eat Camel and they might lay of the whales. A win win situation.

pop2jocem
I was interested in the figures being toted about feral camels. Now I am not disputing them in any way but on two rather major trips in the last two years we saw only two lots with about 4 animals each time. I also believe that one of the major problems with feral cats is that they will only eat fresh meat and not carrion.
M.

Guy's
I too am a shooter, and on our recent trip, August 20009 , in which we seen thousands of camels I would have suggested that there is no problem !

Where are my rifles, home locked up, rats, just to drop a couple would have been great.

Wrong..no W.A permit there.. so I was a good fella.

We went thru Docker River, and never seen one !
We get home and seen them in plague proportion there..
My conclusion is that there must be a lot in the Outback, no doubt about it, just have to be in the right place at the right time..

Mind you, from a chopper with one of my rifles, sounds the go !

I would love to fulfill that dream ..

All other ferals are instant shots for me.. !

Cheers
Bucky