Australian Feral Camel

Photo: Camel in desert

Australian camels also referred to as feral camels are the descendants of a domesticated camels that were released into the wild by early European settlers. There are approximately 1.2 million feral camels living in the deserts of central Australia today. That's more than in Arabia and India, the traditional homelands of these animals.

There were no camels in Australia prior to their importation into the country European settlers starting in 1840.  Camels brought to Australia in 1840 for use in the exploration of the dry, harsh interior of Australia. Many camels subsequently escaped or were released into the wild by European settlers and their numbers rapidly increased exponentially, causing significant ecological damage to the Australian Outback native wildlife and environment.

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Types of Australian Camels Camels with One Hump or Two?

Camels are large animals known for their humped back, long legs, flat feet, long curved necks, and big-lipped snouts. They live in arid habitats and can endure extreme temperatures and long periods without food or water. There are two types of camels - Dromedary camels with one hump and Bactrian camels with two. The camel's hump contains stored fat, which the animal uses when food isn't readily available. Camels can run at 40 kph for extended periods and sprint at 67 km/h for short periods, and they can walk up to 160km a day.

Australian Camel Habitat Where Do Camels Live?

The world's largest population of wild camels live in central Australia's deserts, including the Great Sandy, Gibson, Great Victoria, and Simpson deserts. Feral camels live in some of the driest, hottest, and most barren parts of the world and can survive in extreme temperatures. Camels are non-territorial and wander widely, traveling up to 70 km a day depending on the availability of food, water, and shade.

Australian Camel Diet What Do Camels Eat?

Camels eat almost any available plant and feed for 6-8 hours each day. They then spend another 6-8 hours each day ruminating (chewing the cud). When food and water is scarce, the camel extracts energy and water from fat stored in its hump.

Reason for Bringing Camels to Australia Why Camels were Introduced to Australia

One of the main reasons for their failure was the lack of a suitable pack animal capable of handling the dry, rough, and often sandy terrain of the Australian Outback. In 1822 a Danish-French geographer named Malthe Conrad Bruun suggested that the camel may solve this problem. He pointed out that the camel was ideally suited for the dessert. It could survive for long periods without food or water and could carry a hefty 170 to 270 kilograms of provisions on its back.

The first camel was purchased from the Spanish on the Canary Islands and arrived in Australia in 1840 and was part of an expedition into the interior lead by John Horrocks. Unfortunately, this animal was instrumental in Hancocks's accidental death and was shot.

In 1860, 24 camels and 3 camel-drivers (cameleers) were imported from India to join the Burke and Wills expedition into Australia's interior. The expedition was a disaster, with both Burke and Wills losing their lives, but the camels proved their usefulness. Some camels in this expiation escaped and may have formed the first contingent of Australia's camel population.

Having proven their usefulness, large numbers of camels were imported into Australia. In the period 1870 to 1900 alone, more than 15,000 camels and 3,000 cameleers arrived in Australia. These animals and their drivers provided a vital service in the exploration of the interior of Australia. They were used to carry supplies in the setting up of the first telegraph line through the desert from Adelaide to Darwin and in the construction of the railroad between Port Augusta and Alice Springs. This railroad is known today as the Ghan, in honour of the cameleers who lead the camel teams in its construction. (Note: "Ghan" is derived from the word Afghan, as most of the cameleers originated from Afghanistan whose people are called Afghans).

Reasons the Camel Became Feral

With the advent of motor vehicles and railroads, camels were no longer needed, and by the 1930s, most were slaughtered or set free.

Discarded by their owners, these animals had to fend for themselves in the Australian Outback and became feral. The hardy camel was ideally suited for the dry Australian deserts. It could handle the heat, had no predators, and could eat almost any vegetation found there. Wild camel numbers increased rapidly. In 1966 it was estimated that there were 20,000 Australian feral camels. By 2008 this number was estimated to be 500,000. Their numbers have increased so much that they are now considered a serious threat to native habitat. An extensive culling was undertaken between 2008 and 2013. The present population is currently estimated at 350,000 animals. Today there are more wild camels in Australia than anywhere else in the world.

Australian Camel's Impact on the Local Environment

While feral camels are classified as pests, their overall impact on the Australian environment is not as severe as that of some other animals introduced into Australia. Significant ecological damage occurs when their population numbers increase to a point where they overstress available resources.

Feral camels impact the Australian environment by:
• Consuming native vegetation and striping these plants of their leaves. While an individual camel may not denude a plant, because they move in herds of up to 1,000 animals, collectively camels severely deplete and stress local vegetation and deprive native animals of their food and shelter.
• Exhausting and polluting waterholes which cause native animals to die of thirst.
• Damaging pastoral properties by destroying windmills, fences, water pipes, and even water taps and eating vegetation and drinking water meant for livestock. The cost of repairing such infrastructure in the Australian Outback is exorbitantly expensive.
• Sometimes causing serious traffic hazards on roads, rail lines, and even airplane runways.

Introduced Animals of Australia

Australian Camel Predators and Threats What Endangers the Camel?

Because of their large size and the arid environments in which they live, camels have no natural predators. Deaths are primarily caused by old age or prolonged drought, where the animals starve to death. There are also reports of infanticide, where bulls during mating season are openly hostile towards newborn calves, forcing the cow away from the calf after birth, leading to the calf's death. From time to time, various local and state governments initiate culling campaigns to reduce camel numbers. Camels are also harvested for their meat, which is used in pet food.