Residents of a remote community in Australia’s Northern Territory say that they have been overrun by thousands of feral camels and are scared to leave their homes.
Local Government Minister Rob Knight told the ABC:
The community of Docker River is under siege by 6000 marauding, wild camels.
According to Knight, parched conditions brought the camels to the town of 350 in search of water.
Knight describes the chaos:
This is a significant community – some 350 people – where they’ve actually come right into the community, smashing infrastructure, so it’s become a critical situation. There are health issues, there’s camels being trampled and dead carcasses in the community.
They are smashing over water mains and intruding on the airstrip causing problems with medical evacuations.
McDonald Shire chief executive Graham Taylor voiced his concerns as he announced a grant of funds for an emergency cull:
We are concerned really about the issue of children running around and wanting to play with the camels.
There will also probably be the social and psychological impact on some people about being contained in homes and not being able to step out. So there will be a few cost factors there.
The animals will be herded by helicopter to 15 kilometers outside the town, shot and left where they lay.
I wouldn’t mind blowing away some camels from a helicopter.