Australia’s camels

[Outdated]

Almost 200 years ago now much of Australia was still unexplored and attempts to explore the centre of the country repeatedly failed because horses and donkeys can’t survive in that climate. So we brought in some Afghanni camel caravanners to explore and open up the red centre.

These days the train that runs between Adelaide and Darwin is called The Ghan in their honour. Once the camels were no longer needed they were just set free and the habitat suited them perfectly. At any given point in time there’s more than 1 million camels in Australia with numbers swelling to 3 million during times of plenty.

Times of plenty don’t always happen in Australia though and during times of drought camels invade small towns looking for water. They can smell water and they know where it is and they’ll do anything to get to it. They’re very large and very strong animals and if they have to smash your house to get to the water they can smell then that’s what they do. They can be very dangerous animals.

Australia exports camels to Saudi Arabia and a few other middle eastern countries. Why? Because once camels were no longer necessary for transport in these regions most camels were bred for racing and over the course of around 200 years their camel populations became too interbred and they were starting to have genetic issues with things like disease resistance.

Australia is now the only country that has large wild camel populations, and the original Afghanni bloodlines, so Aussie camels have the genetic diversity needed to maintain domesticated herds in the middle east.

 

[Shamar]

Almost 200 years ago now much of Australia was still unexplored and attempts to explore the centre of the country repeatedly failed because horses and donkeys can’t survive in that climate. So we brought in some Afghanni camel caravanners to explore and open up the red centre.

View attachment 147515

These days the train that runs between Adelaide and Darwin is called The Ghan in their honour. Once the camels were no longer needed they were just set free and the habitat suited them perfectly. At any given point in time there’s more than 1 million camels in Australia with numbers swelling to 3 million during times of plenty.

Times of plenty don’t always happen in Australia though and during times of drought camels invade small towns looking for water. They can smell water and they know where it is and they’ll do anything to get to it. They’re very large and very strong animals and if they have to smash your house to get to the water they can smell then that’s what they do. They can be very dangerous animals.

View attachment 147516

Australia exports camels to Saudi Arabia and a few other middle eastern countries. Why? Because once camels were no longer necessary for transport in these regions most camels were bred for racing and over the course of around 200 years their camel populations became too interbred and they were starting to have genetic issues with things like disease resistance.

Australia is now the only country that has large wild camel populations, and the original Afghanni bloodlines, so Aussie camels have the genetic diversity needed to maintain domesticated herds in the middle east.

I remember seeing camels on some of my projects in the interior. A bit of a shock at first because it was unexpected. The American army tried a similar experiment. While they proved useful, when used properly, the Civil War ended things. The army tended to treat them like horses, and that didn't work. They were released, but were hunted out within 25 years. I didn't think you had that many, but I guess 1,000,000 over that big an area spreads them pretty thin.

 

[Outdated]

They were released, but were hunted out within 25 years. I didn't think you had that many, but I guess 1,000,000 over that big an area spreads them pretty thin.

We have much larger arid regions than the US, and far fewer people living in those areas although some do hunt camels for food.

They also don't create the same ecological disasters that cattle and horses do. Australia had no hooved animals and many of our native plants are very shallow rooted, hooved animals kill these plants off just by walking too close to them. Camels at least have soft padded feet instead of hooves.

 

[Forest Cat]

I have heard that the camels have adapted to Australian nature and they are now venomous? Camel venom.

 

[Mary Terry]

Sounds like Australian camels in search of water are much like American bears in search of food.

I read in the news this morning that there are some huge fires burning in Australia right now. Stay safe!

 

[Judge]

This thread needs a little music.

 

[Outdated]

I read in the news this morning that there are some huge fires burning in Australia right now. Stay safe!

There's nearly always fires here somewhere or other, little danger where I live though. The fires you probably heard about were just north of Sydney. At the moment they're all scratching their heads wondering how fires managed to jump over a stretch of ocean more than a kilometre wide.

The rest of the country has been telling them for decades that Whistling Kites and Black Kites deliberately spread fire as a hunting tool. They pick up burning sticks and drop them in dry grass to flush out small game. We've shown film of it often enough but scientists on the east coast still keep telling us we're mistaken and when viewing film footage keep trying to make more and more excuses for what they think is really going on.

Strangely, I've seen plenty of US based documentaries on our kites doing this but wankers in Sydney are still in denial. Typical US documentaries though - we have no such bird called a "fire hawk" and in fact it's not even hawks doing it, it's Kites about the same size as your Bald Eagle.

 

[Mary Terry]

There's nearly always fires here somewhere or other, little danger where I live though. The fires you probably heard about were just north of Sydney. At the moment they're all scratching their heads wondering how fires managed to jump over a stretch of ocean more than a kilometre wide.

The rest of the country has been telling them for decades that Whistling Kites and Black Kites deliberately spread fire as a hunting tool. They pick up burning sticks and drop them in dry grass to flush out small game. We've shown film of it often enough but scientists on the east coast still keep telling us we're mistaken and when viewing film footage keep trying to make more and more excuses for what they think is really going on.

Strangely, I've seen plenty of US based documentaries on our kites doing this but wankers in Sydney are still in denial. Typical US documentaries though - we have no such bird called a "fire hawk" and in fact it's not even hawks doing it, it's Kites about the same size as your Bald Eagle.

View attachment 147523

Yes, I've heard about the kites doing that in Australia. The so-called "experts" just need to ask the natives. The natives know more than the PhDs.

 

[Outdated]

Yes, I've heard about the kites doing that in Australia. The so-called "experts" just need to ask the natives. The natives know more than the PhDs.

Not just the traditional natives, more than 5 million people witness this happening on a regular basis, I've seen it plenty of times myself. Light a fire too early in the day and kites will swoop down and steal burning sticks from it.

 

[Mary Terry]

^^^^^ Amazing bird behavior.

 

[RemyZee]

Almost 200 years ago now much of Australia was still unexplored and attempts to explore the centre of the country repeatedly failed because horses and donkeys can’t survive in that climate. So we brought in some Afghanni camel caravanners to explore and open up the red centre.

View attachment 147515

These days the train that runs between Adelaide and Darwin is called The Ghan in their honour. Once the camels were no longer needed they were just set free and the habitat suited them perfectly. At any given point in time there’s more than 1 million camels in Australia with numbers swelling to 3 million during times of plenty.

Times of plenty don’t always happen in Australia though and during times of drought camels invade small towns looking for water. They can smell water and they know where it is and they’ll do anything to get to it. They’re very large and very strong animals and if they have to smash your house to get to the water they can smell then that’s what they do. They can be very dangerous animals.

View attachment 147516

Australia exports camels to Saudi Arabia and a few other middle eastern countries. Why? Because once camels were no longer necessary for transport in these regions most camels were bred for racing and over the course of around 200 years their camel populations became too interbred and they were starting to have genetic issues with things like disease resistance.

Australia is now the only country that has large wild camel populations, and the original Afghanni bloodlines, so Aussie camels have the genetic diversity needed to maintain domesticated herds in the middle east

Robyn Davidson is one of my heroes. If you haven't seen the film or read her work it is entirely worthwhile:
Tracks (2013) 7.1 | Adventure, Biography, Drama

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

Robyn Davidson is one of my heroes. If you haven't seen the film or read her work it is entirely worthwhile:
Tracks (2013) 7.1 | Adventure, Biography, Drama

I’ve read her book. Quite interesting.

 

[Outdated]

Robyn Davidson is one of my heroes. If you haven't seen the film or read her work it is entirely worthwhile:
Tracks (2013) 7.1 | Adventure, Biography, Drama

There was another one that did a similar trip with camels last year but they walked from Alice Springs to Melbourne.

And at the moment we have a Japanese tourist that's walking from Cairns to Melbourne. Tomoya Matsusaka, the route he's taking hugs the coast a lot of the way so it's more than 3500 Km and it's taking him 6 months, he's hoping to reach Melbourne by Christmas.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

There was another one that did a similar trip with camels last year but they walked from Alice Springs to Melbourne.

And at the moment we have a Japanese tourist that's walking from Cairns to Melbourne. Tomoya Matsusaka, the route he's taking hugs the coast a lot of the way so it's more than 3500 Km and it's taking him 6 months, he's hoping to reach Melbourne by Christmas.

View attachment 147531

I read a book this past summer, Where the Falcons Fly by Adam Shoalts. The author followed the migratory path of the peregrine falcon from Lake Ontario up into Arctic Mountains, about 3400K, mostly by canoe. But there were extensive portages and he had something like this to roll his canoe and gear. Which is what made me think of it, this picture.