Town lives in fear of marauding camels

RESIDENTS in a small central Australian community are being held hostage by a herd of thirsty, marauding camels.

Docker River, 500km south west of Alice Springs, has been inundated by thousands of feral camels in recent weeks.

The Northern Territory Government today said it would conduct an emergency cull of some 6000 feral camels.

As well as the camels smashing water infrastructure in their hunt for moisture, the quality of drinking water in the town is being threatened by the decaying bodies of camels that have been trampled by their herd.

The camels have over-run the airport, making it near impossible for aircraft to land or for medical emergency evacuations to take place.

MacDonnell Shire Council chief executive officer, Graham Taylor said many members of the community were too frightened to leave their homes.

"The social and psychological impacts on some people about being contained in homes and not being able to step out, so there will be some cost factors for the community there,'' he said in Alice Springs today.

Mr Taylor said residents were not overly concerned when about 30 camels came into the town looking for water a few weeks ago, but that fear had grown as numbers increased steadily day by day.

"We need to get the risk and that threat away from the people.''

NT Local Government Minister Rob Knight said the camels would be mustered away from the town by helicopters before being shot.

"The community of Docker River is under siege by 6000 marauding, wild camels,'' he said.

"They're actually coming up to the houses taking water off the overflow from the rooftop air-conditioning.

"This is a very critical situation out there, it's very unusual and it needs urgent action.''

Mr Knight said the camel carcasses would be left in the desert to decay.

"We don't have the luxury of time because the herd is getting bigger.''

NT Environment Minister Karl Hampton said he hoped the emergency response, which will be activated next week to help the 350 residents in Docker River, would set a bench mark for the Federal Government's $19 million nation camel action plan.

Mr Hampton could not provide any details of the proposed national scheme.

"Maybe it will give us an idea of how we should tackle the bigger or broader problem,'' he said.

``We need to look at whether there are economic benefits of what we can do with camels.''

It is understood the long-term federal camel action plan will be released for public consultation in December.

No jokes about getting the hump please!!!

No jokes about getting the hump please!!!

Too busy setting up my cameltoe.au website. Cameltoe through the post. Boy, are some people in for a surprise.

Regards.

Alot of them are actually Dromedary. They have one hump.

I was in the middle of the Simpson Desert when an angry bull Camel came into my camp, I think he was looking for a bit of lady camel (perhaps I should of said looking for a Camel toe) and he was very nasty and angry. I managed to scare him away using firesticks, but he freaked me out. I would hate to be out there with 6000 of the bastards.

I would hate to be out there with 6000 of the bastards.

Never been to a Millwall home game then

Millwall have 6000 fans?

It's not as if anyone else would go there.

6000 Camels, you tool

All of them Millwall supporters???

No wonder they're locking the freaking doors....

Camel meat fetches a good price in Egypt.....could be a market for them instead of just culling to rot.

There would be a closer market in the pet food industry although I suppose the logistics of getting the meat to the processing plants would be a bit daunting.

The camels would soon learn to clear off when they saw a freezer truck coming.

There would be a closer market in the pet food industry although I suppose the logistics of getting the meat to the processing plants would be a bit daunting.

The camels would soon learn to clear off when they saw a freezer truck coming.

Pet food is cheap wholesale.

Can't say this looks too expensive though.

Have to say I've eaten camel steak, quite tasty!

Although I didn't get it at that shop!

A big sirlion of buffalo with a Magaret river Cab Sav is also recommended.

Disgusting breed. Sorry that pic brings back alot of aweful memories for me

Are they the same species as the kwai us rural Thai expats have come to know and love?

I ate some in a restaurant last week, I think they said it was the neck fillet. Better than I thought it would be.

Yes, I think the Northern Territory buffalo is decended from imported Asian water buffalos.

Disgusting breed. Sorry that pic brings back alot of aweful memories for me

Get pissed in that pub too, did you?

Wolverhampton in the West Midlands ( Staffordshire actually but let's not go there) has been plagued by camels, wildebeests and swarms of box jelly fish for some years.

Must be true as camel, wildebeest, and or Jelly fish infestation, has been the number one reason for the unemployed in the area's inability to make job interviews for some years.

A spokesperson for the socialist council's social services, was unable to comment on the problem in case he or his workers got the blame for the issue, or might be in the running to actually turn up for work everyday to assess the situation. He did say he felt Wolverhampton's climate would not usually be associated with such creatures, but quickly retracted the " usually " as soon as he realized he may have hinted at some form of possible accountability.

A true life quality post from a poster you can trust.

Is one of those towns where all the businesses in the area close because they can't get shop assistants?

Yes

They are scared of the camels........

I thought this might be one thread that wasn't about the Old Blighted.