http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24774855-2682,00.html

Plan to kill 400,000 Outback camels
Article from: The Advertiser

CLARE PEDDIE, SCIENCE REPORTER

December 09, 2008 03:10pm

A NATIONAL cull of 400,000 feral camels is being considered in light of a new report to federal and state governments.

The report by researchers at the Desert Knowledge Co-operative Research Centre will be launched in Canberra tomorrow.

It states that Australia has the largest wild camel herd on Earth, with more than a million camels ranging over a vast area of 3.3 million square kilometres.

Lead author Glenn Edwards from the Northern Territory says the camel population is doubling every nine years.

"The longer we take to act, the more it will cost to manage and repair the negative impacts of feral camels," he said.

The main options for camel control include aerial culling, ground culling, and fencing. But possible chemical, biological, and fertility control options are also being investigated.

To bring the number of camels down to 0.1-0.2 camels per square kilometre, Mr Edwards says an estimated 400,000 animals would have to be "removed".

The report - Managing the impacts of feral camels in Australia: A new way of doing business - is available on the web at www.desertknowledgecrc.com.au

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