Feral camels create havoc for farmers in drought.

[bob10]

As if they didn't have enough problems.

A rapidly growing herd of camels is wreaking havoc for Australian farmers (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2019/08/11/feral-camels-australia/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020190812)

[ChookD2]

At least this bloke has cattle to save many farmers are shooting starving cattle and sheep to save their own lives. Sadly sometimes that’s not even enough.

[87County]

I think you could write similar about that "other rabbit of the future" (the various feral deer specie).

A dead camel is a huge carcase.

[Old Farang]

In another life I use to fly helicopters around some of the country mentioned here. I was licenced to carry and discharge a firearm from my helicopter, but the problem in those days was feral donkeys. Not sure just how an aerial cull cost "more than $100,000 though?

Feral camel 'plague' forces pastoralists to shoot thousands and call for urgent cull - ABC Rural - ABC News (https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2019-01-24/feral-camels-cause-chaos-as-pastoralists-shoot-thousands/10737400)

[trout1105]

Put a bounty on the wild camels.would help But the pastrolists should be levied to pay the bounty costs as they are the ones getting the direct benefit from it.

[DiscoMick]

Given the camels can survive where cattle die, there must be an opportunity to farm them.
Camel milk is certainly a commercial thing. I have seen it being sold in coffee shops, although it's a bit pricey compared with cow's milk, In the Middle East it is female camels which are chosen for desert expeditions because the travellers can milk the camels while travelling.
Has anyone here eaten camel? Camel meat must be a possible market. Maybe the problem of long distances could be overcome with a mobile abattoir to kill on the properties and then send the meat in refrigerated trucks to metropolitan abattoirs for final processing.
Just an idea.
Really, this is just another example of the failure of the traditional approach to grazing in areas which are increasingly becoming desert as climate change raises temperatures and makes traditional farming methods imported from green Europe even less viable here.

[bblaze]

seems strange to me, shoot 10 camels to support 1 cow. what a wasted oputunity. Gotta be more dressed protein on a camel than a steer
cheers
blaze

[loanrangie]

seems strange to me, shoot 10 camels to support 1 cow. what a wasted oputunity. Gotta be more dressed protein on a camel than a steer
cheers
blaze

Camel steak, yum :)

[Saitch]

There's also other reasons apparently although, this is perhaps, 19 year old, political
'Doom and Gloom"?[bighmmm]

Eradicating camels 'will cut emissions' - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-01-14/eradicating-camels-will-cut-emissions/1208966)

[carjunkieanon]

Vaguely recall reading an article a few years about that said Australia does export camel meat to the Middle East.

Googled 'Australia Camel Meat Export Middle East' and a bunch of sites came up.

This seemed somewhat definitive from a 'live animal export perspective' - https://www.mla.com.au/research-and-development/search-rd-reports/final-report-details/Live-Export/Camel-live-export-Supply-chain-and-benefit-cost-analysis/789
" On balance, modest economic returns and substantial risks limit the attractiveness of investment in Australian live camel exports."

[BradC]

Has anyone here eaten camel?

Yeah. Like roo it has to be prepared and cooked right, but it's not bad at all. It's all in the preparation.
On the other hand, as a caucasian Aussie brought up on dairy I found Camel milk absolutely vile. I'm sure tastes vary however and if it was the only fluid going you'd take it.
I did try it a few times in the time I lived in the Middle East just in case I happened to have a bad batch the last time, but it never got better.

[DiscoMick]

Vaguely recall reading an article a few years about that said Australia does export camel meat to the Middle East.

Googled 'Australia Camel Meat Export Middle East' and a bunch of sites came up.

This seemed somewhat definitive from a 'live animal export perspective' - https://www.mla.com.au/research-and-development/search-rd-reports/final-report-details/Live-Export/Camel-live-export-Supply-chain-and-benefit-cost-analysis/789
" On balance, modest economic returns and substantial risks limit the attractiveness of investment in Australian live camel exports."Don't export. Market locally, like already happens with roo meat.

[V8Ian]

YouTube (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8T9lq2kWssE)