Australia to slaughter 6,000 Camels

[mariomike]

Plan to shoot them from helicopters:
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/11/26/australia-northern-territory-camels-shoot.html

 

[SARgirl]

It's a shame they will be killed instead of relocated.

 

[mariomike]

It's a shame they will be killed instead of relocated.

If they are shooting them from the air, it will be more of a massacre than euthanasia. 
I still remember that camel ride I took at the circus when I was a kid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg8fFfwoQdU
Lawrence of Arabia and all that.
I read that in Australia camels were once used for riding, pack animals for exploration and construction of rail and telegraph lines. They were also used to supply goods to remote mines and settlements. They even delivered pianos to remote settlements.:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/CamelTrainKalgoorlie_WEFretwellCollection.jpg
They were the ultimate one ton 4WD back in their day. They can outrun a horse.
What was that old Arabian Proverb?  "If the camel once gets his nose in the tent, his body will soon follow."
I remember them telling us in Sunday School that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter Heaven.

 

[Michael OLeary]

It's a shame they will be killed instead of relocated.

To where?

Can you identify a location looking to acquire 6000 wild camels?  You can't just advertise them under free pets on Craigslist.

 

[slowmode]

The problem is their are so many wild camels there with no real predators. This causes them to populate more and more and look for more food. Resources are thin there so either you barricade them out and let them die or thirst or do this..either way no one wins.

 

[mellian]

Poor camels.

Australia seems to have a lot of animal problems. One year it was to many kangaroos they had to cull, and then there is the koalas, rabits, and now Camels. 

 

[medaid]

Train them and send them overseas.

RAACCC = Royal Australian Armoured Camel Cavalry Corps.

 

[gcclarke]

The problem is their are so many wild camels there with no real predators. This causes them to populate more and more and look for more food. Resources are thin there so either you barricade them out and let them die or thirst or do this..either way no one wins.

Technically they're not wild camels, they're feral camels, as they are not native to that continent. This is the main reason I don't have any problem whatsoever with this initiative. There is nothing wrong with killing off an invading foreign species that is outcompeting the local fauna and eating all the local flora. It helps protect those other species that don't have any other population centres, and might be in danger of extinction otherwise.

And if you still have a problem with the concept, ask someone from Georgia how they feel about kudzu.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Wow! That's, like, 24,000 camel toes!! 8)

 

[wannabe SF member]

Technically they're not wild camels, they're feral camels, as they are not native to that continent. This is the main reason I don't have any problem whatsoever with this initiative. There is nothing wrong with killing off an invading foreign species that is outcompeting the local fauna and eating all the local flora. It helps protect those other species that don't have any other population centres, and might be in danger of extinction otherwise.

And if you still have a problem with the concept, ask someone from Georgia how they feel about kudzu.

If the camels are more competitive than the other species, why should the government intervene to save it's own own inefficient wildlife. It's time to end this unscrupulous protectionism.  :tsktsk:

 

[mariomike]

I've seen camel and kangaroo meat sold at the St Lawrence Market in Toronto. I did not see it on the menu at Outback Steakhouse.
The Star had this to say: "Eating camels may be good for environment: ALICE SPRINGS–Hey, matey, why not throw a camel on the barbie?":
http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/551281

There seems to be an industry for it:
http://www.camelsaust.com.au/chintro.htm

Also in today's news, the world's biggest ( and best? ) animal sacrifice: "Hindu sacrifice of 250,000 animals begins:
Cheers and protests as thousands of buffalo are decapitated at start of festival in Nepal honouring Hindu goddess Gadhimai":
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/24/hindu-sacrifice-gadhimai-festival-nepal
Most readers probably do not remember Brigitte Bardot, you wouldn't be likely to forget her. She protested to the Nepalese prime minister.

 

[Dennis Ruhl]

With the changing demographics in Australia ...... ?

All the old horses around here are slaughtered and shipped to France or Holland.  Couldn't there be an export business there?

 

[mariomike]

All the old horses around here are slaughtered and shipped to France or Holland. 

Also within Canada:
"Agriculture in Québec seems to prosper under the prohibitions from the United States. There is a thriving horse meat business in Québec; the meat is available in most supermarket chains. Horse meat is also for sale at the other end of the country, in Granville Island Market in downtown Vancouver where, according to a Time magazine reviewer who smuggled it into the United States, it turned out to be a "sweet, rich, superlean, oddly soft meat, closer to beef than venison". Horse meat is also available in high end Toronto butchers and supermarkets, most notably in Fiesta Farms in downtown Toronto. Aside from the heritage of French cuisine at one end of the country and the adventurous foodies of Vancouver at the other, however, the majority of Canada shares the horse meat taboo with the rest of the Anglosphere. This mentality is especially evident in Alberta, where strong horse racing and breeding industries and cultures have existed since the province's founding.":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_meat#Canada

 

[SARgirl]

To where?

  Where there is a will, there's a way.  ...I didn't say it would be easy.  I'm sure there are options however, with time being a factor, other options may not get the job time within the necessary allotted time frame.

Train them and send them overseas.

RAACCC = Royal Australian Armoured Camel Cavalry Corps.

Good idea.

I've seen camel and kangaroo meat sold at the St Lawrence Market in Toronto. I did not see it on the menu at Outback Steakhouse.
The Star had this to say: "Eating camels may be good for environment: ALICE SPRINGS–Hey, matey, why not throw a camel on the barbie?":
http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/551281

There seems to be an industry for it:
http://www.camelsaust.com.au/chintro.htm

This is a good idea as well.  Since they feel the camels ought to be destroyed, then they should at least try to make good use of the meat.  Mind you, I suspect the local 'circle of life' will take care of the camels after their demise.

 

[mariomike]

"Britons boycott Australia over camel cull: UK residents outraged by plans to cull some 6000 camels are warning other Europeans against visiting Australia. Online discussion forums, which describe Australia as a third world country, have been running hot since it was revealed last week that residents in a small central Australian community were being held hostage by a herd of thirsty, marauding camels.":
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/3120445/Britons-boycott-Australia-over-camel-cull

"Aussie camel cull plan offends Brits":
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/aussie-camel-cull-plan-offends-brits-20091202-k5jp.html

"CNBC newsreader Erin Burnett broke away from her usual market update to inform viewers that Rudd's government has launched "air strikes against camels in the Outback".":
If interested, fast forward to 3:15
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1204777023&play=1

 

[Michael OLeary]

Camels In Australia
About The Australian Outback And The Camels There
http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/camels-australia.html#camels-australia-history

Nobody knows how many there are exactly now (2007), some say around 600 000, some say they he numbers have reached at least one million. All agree that there are too many, and the number is expected to double again in the next eight years.

They overrun Aboriginal communities to get to taps, wells and air-conditioners, they ruin water holes and water troughs on cattle stations, people had to shoot them to keep them out of houses...

In the worst affected areas cattle station owners spend 80% of their maintenance budget on fixing camel damage, some up to A$ 60 000 a year! Some properties have over 2000 camels on their land. The owners are at their wits end and are talking about giving up and just handing the pasture over to the camels...

Camels are also a threat in the undeveloped desert regions. They compete with native animals for food and water, they are destroying Aboriginal sacred sites, Aboriginal food sources, national parks, anything in their path basically. Camels are seriously upsetting the balance of the fragile Australian desert ecosystem.

At the moment there is mostly a lot of noise and pleas that something needs to be done. Culling will need to be part of the solution, no doubt, but most people realise that the Australian camels are also a valuable resource.

 

[X-mo-1979]

Australia's poor should be fed well all next year if they slaughter properly and use the carcass. Camel pants and coat's and camel stew in the soup kitchens. Win win.

 

[mariomike]

Camel hair jackets and coats are very nice! :
http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx?pf_id=39hh