You’re driving through the Red Centre, miles from anything that resembles a town, and suddenly, there’s a silhouette on the horizon that makes no sense. It’s not a kangaroo. It’s definitely not a cow. It’s a dromedary camel, looking perfectly at home in the scorching dust of the Northern Territory. Most people think of the Outback and picture Steve Irwin wrestling crocs or kangaroos hopping across the sunset, but the reality is much weirder. Australia has the largest population of wild camels on Earth.
It’s an accidental empire.
Honestly, the story of feral camels in australia is one of those historical "oops" moments that spiraled out of control. We aren't talking about a few dozen escapees from a petting zoo. We are talking about hundreds of thousands of animals—some estimates still hover around the 300,000 to 600,000 mark, though those numbers fluctuate wildly depending on drought cycles and culling programs—tearing up the landscape. They’re everywhere in the arid interior, from the Great Victoria Desert to the Pilbara.
How camels actually got here (and why they stayed)
The British realized pretty early on that horses and bullocks were useless in the Australian interior. They died of thirst. They got bogged in the sand. So, between 1870 and 1920, around 20,000 camels were imported, mostly from India and Afghanistan. Along with them came the "Afghan" cameleers—who were actually from various places like Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey—who basically built the infrastructure of modern Australia. They carried the pipes for the Goldfields Water Supply. They hauled the wool. They were the engines of the outback.
Then the car happened.
By the 1920s and 30s, trucks and trains made the cameleers' jobs obsolete. But instead of some grand organized retirement for the animals, many were simply released into the wild. It sounds merciful, but it set the stage for an ecological disaster. The Australian environment had no natural predators for an animal that weighs 600 kilograms and can go weeks without a drink. They thrived. They bred like crazy. They basically looked at the harsh Australian desert and said, "Is this all you've got?"
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Why feral camels in australia are a genuine nightmare for locals
If you’ve never seen what a thirsty camel can do, count yourself lucky. During severe droughts, these animals become desperate. There are documented cases, like in the small community of Docker River in 2009, where thousands of camels literally invaded the town. They smashed fences, tore apart air conditioning units to get to the condensation, and trampled infrastructure just to find a drop of water. It was like a scene from a low-budget horror movie, but with more spitting and groaning.
The environmental damage is even worse. Australia’s desert ecosystems are fragile. Local waterholes, known as rockholes, are vital for native wildlife and Indigenous communities. A mob of camels can find a rockhole and drink it dry in minutes. What they don't drink, they foul. They defecate in the water, making it toxic for everything else. They also have a habit of "hedging" trees—stripping the bark and leaves so high up that the plant eventually dies. For the Aṉangu people, the traditional owners of vast stretches of the central desert, the camel is often viewed as a "cadigal" (a nuisance or something that doesn't belong), though opinions vary across different communities.
Some people feel sorry for them. It’s hard not to. They’re majestic, intelligent animals. But from a land management perspective, they’re a biological bulldozer.
The Great Camel Cull and the politics of management
Back in 2009, the federal government put up $19 million for the Australian Feral Camel Management Project. The goal was simple but brutal: reduce the population via aerial culling. Marksmen in helicopters would thin the herds to a manageable level. By the time the project wrapped up in 2013, they had removed about 160,000 camels.
Did it work? Sorta.
It took the immediate pressure off, but camels are resilient. They can double their population every 8 to 10 years if left alone. This is why you’ll still hear intense debates in pubs from Alice Springs to Perth about what to do with them. Some argue for a commercial industry—turning them into burgers or exporting them back to the Middle East. It sounds like a "win-win," right? Take a pest and turn it into a profit.
But the logistics are a mess.
The Outback is huge. Like, mind-bogglingly empty. To run a commercial meat operation, you need refrigerated trucks, holding yards, and massive transport budgets. By the time you catch a wild camel in the middle of the Gibson Desert and get it to a processing plant in Adelaide, you've spent more than the meat is worth. That’s why the "camel burger" remains a niche novelty for tourists rather than a mainstream solution.
What most people get wrong about the "pest" label
There’s a weird irony here. While Australia struggles to manage its feral population, the genetic stock of these animals is actually incredibly valuable. Because they’ve been isolated for over a century, Australian camels are largely free of the diseases that plague herds in the Middle East, like MERS or foot-and-mouth disease.
We actually export camels back to countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE for breeding and racing. It’s the ultimate "bringing coals to Newcastle" scenario.
- Myth: Camels are only in the desert.
- Reality: They've been spotted near the coast and in semi-arid farming lands when the interior gets too dry.
- Myth: They are aggressive toward humans.
- Reality: They’re mostly shy, but a bull camel in rut or a mother with a calf can be incredibly dangerous.
Navigating camel country: Practical advice
If you're planning a trip through the Simpson Desert or along the Canning Stock Route, you need to be "camel aware." These aren't just background scenery; they are a road hazard. A collision with a 600kg camel at 100km/h will delete your car and likely you along with it.
- Avoid driving at dawn or dusk. This is when camels are most active and hardest to see. Their eyes don't reflect light the same way a kangaroo's do, and their height means they often come through the windshield rather than under the bumper.
- Secure your water. If you’re bush camping, don't leave water containers out. Camels can smell water from kilometers away. You don't want a thirsty mob waking you up at 3:00 AM by leaning on your tent.
- Respect the culls. Many national parks and Indigenous-protected areas conduct culling operations. Always check with local ranger stations (like those in the Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park) before heading off-track.
- Support local industries. If you see camel milk, soap, or meat for sale in places like Summer Land Camels or various outback stations, give it a try. Supporting the commercialization of the species is one of the few ways to manage the population without relying solely on aerial shooting.
The situation with feral camels in australia isn't going away. It’s a permanent part of the landscape now. We’ve moved past the point of total eradication; now, it’s all about balance. These animals are a living bridge to Australia’s pioneering past, but they’re also a heavy burden on its ecological future. Understanding that complexity is the first step to actually solving the problem.
If you're traveling through the interior, keep your eyes on the horizon. Seeing a wild dromedary is a bucket-list experience, just make sure you’re seeing it from a safe distance through a pair of binoculars, not through a smashed-in radiator.
Actionable Next Steps
- Check the Alerts: Before traveling through Central Australia, visit the Northern Territory or Western Australia Parks and Wildlife websites to check for active feral animal control programs in the areas you plan to visit.
- Install a Bull Bar: If you are planning an extensive Outback crossing, ensure your vehicle is fitted with a high-quality bull bar. Camels are tall, so traditional bars may not provide full protection, but they are better than nothing.
- Report Large Sightings: Use the FeralScan app (specifically CamelScan) to report sightings of large herds. This data is used by the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions to map populations and direct management efforts.
- Eat the Problem: Seek out licensed camel meat distributors. It is a lean, high-protein red meat that tastes similar to beef but with a slightly heartier, gamier edge. Increasing market demand is the most sustainable way to lower wild numbers.