FOXSYLVANIA

– – And you thought that Joe Camel was bad?- -About 6.000 feral camels are rampaging through a remote Australian town, causing chaos and terrifying the 330 or so locals! The community of Docker River is said by the Northern Territory government to be “under siege!”  Apparently the surreal situation began about four weeks ago with 25 or 30 camels, but more and more continued to arrive, looking for water.  On a number of occasions, the camels have barged into people’s homes, tearing up bathrooms and ripping apart water pipes!   At least Joe Camel only peddled carcinogens.

The camels are part of a wild herd of over a million camels which roam the central Australian desert.  They are the descendants of camels introduced to the country in the 19th century when white settlers built roads and rail across the Outback, and used camels for transportation.   They were set free afterwards, and have been breeding and multiplying ever since.  With few natural predators and abundant land in which to roam, the camel population has soared, putting pressure on  native species by reducing food resources, destroying habitat, and spreading disease.

Sadly, the camels will be culled, rounded up to be taken out of town and shot.   It is said that the camel population needs to be reduced by about two-thirds to reduce catastrophic damage…a sad testimonial to what can happen when humans introduce non-native species to a fragile ecosystem…