NitroX
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Camel warning for central Australia as population booms
An Alice Springs scientist has warned that stretches of central Australia could come to resemble the deserts of the Middle East, if the wild camel population is not managed properly.
Researchers and land-holders are among delegates meeting in Alice Springs to look at management options for camels.
Glenn Edwards from the Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Service says Australia's camel population is increasing by up to 100,000 a year, but only about 2,000 are being used commercially.
He says it is putting a strain on the environment.
"Let's face it, the deserts we have here, we call them deserts but you know they're really paradises in some way for camels because they're quite well vegetated," he said.
"They're not like the Sahara Desert for example but if we let things go unchecked with camels, well who knows, we might be looking at true deserts at some stage down the track."
Dr Edwards says this week's meeting is one of several that will look at management options.
"The camel situation is quite a complex one," he said.
He says culling is one option but stakeholders like Indigenous communities want to avoid that.
"I think a lot of Aboriginal people are really opposed to seeing animals culled and left to waste in the field," he said.
Dr Edwards says other possible options include fencing off sensitive areas.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200512/s1525272.htm
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John aka NitroX
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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
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cchunter
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Count me in for some culling if that is the solution of the problem....
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Christer Hansson
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NitroX
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I would very much like to hunt camels in the Central Australian deserts in 2006. 
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John aka NitroX
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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
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mickey
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How about June?
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Lovu Zdar
Mick
A Man of Pleasure, Enterprise, Wit and Spirit Rare Books, Big Game Hunting, English Rifles, Fishing, Explosives, Chauvinism, Insensitivity, Public Drunkenness and Sloth, Champion of Lost and Unpopular Causes.
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NitroX
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Mickey
Possibly.
I do not have a property yet, but may have access to one. Not 100% yet.
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John aka NitroX
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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
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Bushie
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Nitrox ,
Believe that there is quite a bit of conjecture about what Australia's camel population actually is .
Ag. Dept. in W.A. did some work on feasibility of an export meat industry but to no avail so far .
Believe there may be a population of camels on a station East of Carnarvon in W.A. that offers very reasonably priced (cheap) hunts in attractive country . Goats too . Was semi planning a trip up there early in spring before it gets too hot . Will give them a ring .
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Marty
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Loc: Darwin. NT, Australia
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I was offered a hunt once. In exchange for a bit of reloding gear. Sounded good. Then the bill for the reloading gear came in. All $2000 of it. Made for an expensive camel shoot. I'll give the name of the property to anyone who is interested. I wasnt at that price.
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NitroX
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I'm thinking of a free camel hunt.
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John aka NitroX
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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
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AspenHill
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Why do the indigenous people care about an non-indigenous animal? 
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~Ann
Everyday spent outdoors is the best day of my life.
Aspen Hill Adventures
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500Nitro
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Bushie
The problem with the meat export side is that
the camels are so far from anything resembling
civilisation and even if you had a freeser truck,
just the cost of getting them to the truck and out
for export would be prohibitive.
500 Nitro
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NitroX
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Camel meat can be quite nice. Occasionally it is in the supermarkets as strips of fillet, but I don't know what cut it came from.
My guess is the camel meat comes from the stations with 'captive' stock camels, with some of it being sold for human consumption. Harvesting wild camel from the desert is probably not economic.
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John aka NitroX
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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
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NitroX
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Ann,
I doubt the Aboriginals care one bit about camels and if they are shot or not.
A lot of these comments seem to come from some sort of PC agenda and their own personal philosophies and beliefs.
I also think the number of "100,000 camels increasing each year" is a bit of fantasy dreamt up in a wackademics easy chair.
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John aka NitroX
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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
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Matt_Graham
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Why do the indigenous people care about an non-indigenous animal?
Thats simple Ann - money! They want it just as much as everyone else...
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www.huntaust.com.au
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velodog
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Loc: Australia
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A fellow called Larry Gilbert did camel hunts ,i think they were about 3 grand, several years ago .I dont know if this address ,phone is still correct  o box 141 ,Quorn SA 5433 phone 08 86486711 .There was also a station, cant remember who now who told me they wanted $11,000.00 and that they mainly catered for european clients ,i lost interest after that
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Marrakai
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In reply to:
The problem with the meat export side is that the camels are so far from anything resembling civilisation and even if you had a freeser truck, just the cost of getting them to the truck and out for export would be prohibitive.
500nitro: The Central Australian pastoral industry must therefore be wasting its time with the several hundred thousand head of beeves they run "so far from anything resembling civilisation " each year!! 
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Marrakai
When the bull drops, the bullshit stops!
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500Nitro
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Rounding up cattle that can be herded easier and have a much bigger market
is a lot easier than small groups of camels.
I know where your coming from but I just don't think the economics
are there for Camels from the Wild.
500 Nitro
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bulldog563
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Nitrox, When you talk about cost of a hunt in dollars...you are speaking in Aussie Dollars right?
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Matt_Graham
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500N - there are people I know who are mustering them and making a dollar. Some go to a live trade to the mid east and some are butchered for human consumption.
Cheers
Matt
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www.huntaust.com.au
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500Nitro
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Matt,
I know of the live camel trade but if there was that much money in it
it would go large scale.
We can debate it in Las Vegas !!!
500 Nitro
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ALAN_MCKENZIE
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I know where there is some big mobs of feral camel here in west aust just waiting to be tipped over.
There sure is some camel east of Carnarvon ,but a bloody long way east,maybe 800-1000 kms east.
Goats every where around Carnarvon and all points east.
Al
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"Dogs always bark at their master"
Sir Seretse Khama.25th June 1949
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500Nitro
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ALAN
Goats are easier to herd and probably worth a lot more money
as well as the fact you can get aot more goats into a truck.
Alternatively, you could always have a long range bomb up
and feed the dingoes !!!
500 Nitro
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ALAN_MCKENZIE
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Loc: Western Australia
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Just as a matter of interest ,camel hump makes very good dog baits especially with strychnine as the hump grissel takes a long time to deteriate.
After one aerial muster in and around Gascoyne Junction we recon we had in excess of 2000 goats in the yards.
In them days iff the wernt meat workers then they were shot and $2-00 was collected on the ears.
A lot of roo ears got mixed in with the goat ears.
Al
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"Dogs always bark at their master"
Sir Seretse Khama.25th June 1949
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AspenHill
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Camels also have a very interesting skull. It looks almost like some sort of carnivore. Anyway, I would like one, I suppose from a bull or 'stallion' camel. What are male camels called anyway? 
If you have 100,000 camels in Oz I would say that is way too many.
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~Ann
Everyday spent outdoors is the best day of my life.
Aspen Hill Adventures
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ALAN_MCKENZIE
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Loc: Western Australia
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Hi Anne,they are refered to as bull camel.
Next time I'm out in the desert I will collect one for you unless you want to collect one for yourself.
That can be arranged .
Al
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"Dogs always bark at their master"
Sir Seretse Khama.25th June 1949
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Matt_Graham
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Loc: Australia
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Hi Ann
Nitro's original article post said 'increasing by 100,000 per year'!! Thats a lot more than 100,000!
Cheers
Matt
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www.huntaust.com.au
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