Camelus dromedarius
| Literature database |
|---|
| 12 articles sorted by: |
| • year (recent ones first) |
| • research topics |
| • countries/regions |
Author: Mark Marathon
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Author: Victor-von-Doom
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Camelus dromedarius Linnaeus, 1758 - (feral camels in Australia)
More than 10,000 domesticated camels (Camelus dromedarius) were imported into Australia between 1860 and 1900 to explore the arid interior of the continent, for riding and for transporting goods. When the use of camels was replaced by the railroad, cars and trucks, many camels were released into the wild. Feral populations established and rapidly multiplied. It was estimated that in 2010, the total camel population had reached around 600,000, spread out over an area of more than 3 million km2, inspite of commercial hunting, e.g. for pet food.
Feral camels cause significant damage to plants when their density is larger than 1 camel per 4 km2 (Box et al., 2016) and are a threat to waterholes (Box et al., 2016). Under the National Feral Camel Action Plan, the Australian Feral Camel Management Project was established in 2010. The project removed in 4 years more than 150,000 feral camels, mainly by aerial culling operations (Digby et al., 2016).
For a review of feral camels in Australia see Woolnough et al. (2016).
