1000 camels culled but that's only the tip of the iceberg

Many more camels, and other feral species which have been uncontrolled for generations, are the targets of a new campaign called the 10 Deserts Project.

Once considered the best transport option in the outback, Australia's wild camel population is today biggest in the world.

Obviously well suited to the dry inland, their numbers have exploded and their spread is causing problems in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, South Australia and Queensland.

There are some estimates of there being more than a million wild camels in central Australia.

Between 1840 and 1907, between 10,000 and 20,000 camels were imported from India and like the cane toad, they now have become a hated pest..

Donkeys, feral horses, there are many non-native species which have been left to populate the inland with little or no control.

They cause huge damage to station infrastructure and also native bush and important cultural areas.

The Central Land Council recently completed feral camel control work in remote central Australia areas in conjunction with the 10 Deserts Project.

CLC's land management manager Peter Donohoe said more than 1000 camels and other feral animals were removed in an area covering over 27,000 square kilometres after consultation with traditional owners.

"Being able to leverage funding for control work from the project has enabled the CLC to conduct feral camel management in the remote Katiti Petermann Indigenous Protected Area and Haasts Bluff area of central Australia," Mr Donohoe said.

"The Indigenous land owners have been proactive in wanting to manage this problem on their lands as it deeply impacts on their natural and cultural assets. We will continue to work collaboratively with the 10 Deserts Project and the NT government to continue this important control work," he said.

10 Deserts Project general manager Peter See said the project was committed to supporting Indigenous organisations who want to manage feral camels on their country.

Almost $2 million has been allocated over the coming four years for control work.

"On past experience feral camels do enormous damage to native flora and fauna, and cultural sites particularly waterholes. When conditions are harsh, they move into remote communities looking for water and do significant damage to infrastructure and houses", he continued.

Feral camels roam across 3.3 million square kilometres of Australia's rangeland. This incorporates a range of different land tenures including Aboriginal Lands, pastoral and mining leases, conservation lands and Crown Land.

With the consent of traditional owners, the project completed its first camel control work with the CLC.

Although the number of feral camels culled was relatively low it is expected that this figure will increase in future control work.

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