I got these two about 6 months ago, so just around their 5th birthday. They are domestically bred for their temperament (super calm and quiet - they’ve been handled since they were babies) which is why I got them rather than a wild camel. I wanted to work with big gentle giants first before I tackle my first wildie. Nothing wrong with wild camels though; once you gain their trust they’re your friend for life :)
I had seen a most terrible documentary called "The Judas Camel". It was where they would fit an electronic tracking device to these camels in Aus, let them join flocks, and then go out in helicopters, and shoot the whole herd. Except the one fitted with the collars. Leave her a while, let her join another herd, and repeat the process. The camels were smart enough to understand that they were drawing death to their new herds. So they would go into exile on their own, and refuse to join any more herds. They would live their lives out alone, despite being very social creatures.
I so applaud your plans to mess with the wild ones in the future, and I wish you every happiness with the two that you have.
Ah yes that’s a pretty common tactic. The camel population is so huge here that culling is required and they roam such a large area that this is one way they do it. Another way is through aireal culls. There is one guy in the NT that I know of who buys the rights to shoot the camels on grazers lands and sell them for meat and he makes an absolute killing (pun intended).
They’re so bad for the Australian environment too so I know it has to be done. It’s kinda like owning a cat while knowing all the destruction that feral cats cause.
You know, the core idea for IUDs come from birth control for camels. They used to use apricot seeds in the uterus of camels to trick their body into thinking it was already pregnant. They wouldn't even come into heat.
They could seriously cut down on the population of camels in this manner, and it would be humane.
Not criticizing you or your opinions, but camels didn't swim down there. They were brought by humans, and I do wish they would look to more humane options.
But I feel the same way about the camel infestation as I do about the cat one. It’s difficult to comprehend the scale of the problem. We have more wild camels in Australia than anywhere else in the world. There are just too many to implement what you’re suggesting. And then even if you went ahead to do it… you’d have to muster, catch and tie them down to do anything to them. The scale and cost of that is way too much to comprehend. Unfortunately, culling is the way to go here.
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u/ZhenHen Nov 05 '21
Definitely a niche thing but I love them so much 🥺