Pesky Camels Will Be Shot From Helicopters

2:48am UK, Sunday August 09, 2009

Thousands of camels will be shot from helicopters and turned into burgers in a bid to halt their trail of havoc across Australia.

Marksmen plan to gun the animals down amid concern the thirsty dromedaries are barging into people's homes and ripping up their bathrooms looking for water.

Government officials plan to wipe out 650,000 of the feral population in the remote Outback area of the country.

The creatures were first introduced to Australia in the 1840s to help explorers travel through the Australian desert.

There are now about one million camels roaming the country.

They compete with sheep and cattle for food, trample vegetation and invade remote settlements in search of water.

On a number of occasions they have scared residents - tearing apart bathrooms and ripping up water pipes.

Last month, the federal government set aside £9.5m for the cull.

Besides sending in sharpshooters in helicopters and on foot, officials are planning to turn many of the creatures into camel burgers and other treats.

Glenn Edwards, who is working on drafting the government's camel reduction program, said the camel population needs to be slashed by two-thirds to reduce catastrophic damage.

But some remain opposed to a mass slaughter.

Camel exporter Paddy McHugh, who runs camel catching operations throughout Australia, said a cull would be ineffective.

"What happens in 15 years when the numbers come back again? Do we waste another £9.5m," McHugh said.

But Tony Peacock, CEO of the University of Canberra's Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Center, said: "To be shot from a helicopter is actually quite humane, even though that sounds brutal."

"If I was a camel, I'd prefer to just get it in the head."

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