Australian cull

It's astonishing, isn't it when this is the same country that bans culling of crocodiles even when they are endangering life.

However, if there is no water and the animals will be suffering then they will die anyway and perhaps culling could be kinder.

I thought that many kangaroos and koalas have died in the fires. It’s so sad. I didn’t know that Australia had that many camels to be honest.

Brought by the Afghan traders I think, and now they are feral living in desert areas.

I doubt they would carry on with a cull of kangaroos as they have lost so many.

You would think. It's just feels so well, tragic.

They are still thinking if culling kangaroos.

They cull the camels most years and have done for some considerable time.

Conservation is not an easy process, and sometimes these things need to be done to preserve the species.

I believe these camels are of particular importance as they have not had the chance to interbeeed with other strains.

Really, oh my heavens, I didn't know this or the history behind it. It seems so cruel.

We are a long way from Australia, and we don't live with all those camels (or the kangaroos) so it is not easy for us to know the drawbacks. Perhaps if we did, we would understand?

Camels are not native to Australia, so it may be that introducing them has made an imbalance with other species, which are suffering because of it?

I am sure that Australians are carefully considering what to do with their wildlife in the wake of the huge loss of life in the fires. They are not wantonly cruel people.

I am sure that most are not wantonly cruel but some get a kick out of killing.

Most of Britain’s native animals were wiped out long ago and many others are teetering on extinction. I wonder whether anyone lamented the killing of the last bear, wolf or lynx or how many people have ever seen a dormouse or otter?
The Australians probably know what’s necessary in their country.

I think I read that it was because they were struggling without water. If it is done to save them suffering that is different to just getting rid of them

Thousands of camels in South Australia will be shot dead from helicopters as a result of extreme heat and drought.
The BBC have reported it at www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-51032145 and it says

A five-day cull started on Wednesday, as Aboriginal communities in the region have reported large groups of camels damaging towns and buildings.

They are roaming the streets looking for water. We are worried about the safety of the young children", says Marita Baker, who lives in the community of Kanypi. "We have been stuck in stinking hot and uncomfortable conditions, feeling unwell, because all the camels are coming in and knocking down fences, getting in around the houses and trying to get water through air-conditioners,

The camels are not indigenous to Australia but were introduced by British colonists as a form of transport in desert areas. Unfortunately as they ceased to be needed for this purpose they were released into the desert and have become feral. With few predators, there are now over 100,000 of them, and as you can see in the quotes above they are making life for the aboriginal people who practise pastural farming in an area where water supply is now scarce both dangerous and difficult.

Afghan traders (not all Afghans) used the camels to transport goods into the interior in the 1800s. Obviously theyare not used for that purpose no, have become feral andhave increased in number to well over 1 million.

The Ghan railway is named after the Afghan cameleers.

Other species introduced have caused problems eg rabbits, foxes, and the notorious cane toads.

Meddling with the balance of nature does cause problems.

Daisymae The majority of Australians are not going to permit culling just so as to allow some to get kicks from it. From Monica's quote it sounds reasonable to cull a proportion of the camels, which are -
1) An introduced species which are altering the balance of native species in a land where survival is difficult enough as it is.
2) Rampaging around seeking water and making life dangerous.
3) Suffering themselves in the arid and firetorn conditions.

Now, not no in my post

I don't know why humans think their lives are worth more than those of camels or kangaroos!

Ask the Aboriginal people who are being affected.
They were there before the camels.

Camels versus Humans ?

Farmers have had to slaughter their cattle because of lack of food and water.
The sights of those fire-ravaged areas must be horrendous.
I've seen smaller areas and that's upsetting enough when you think of the wildlife that also perished.

Quizqueen I do. Every species places the survival of their kind ahead of other species. Most species do not think twice about killing any organism they see as a threat.

What would you prefer. that the camels die a slow agonising death from thirst?

I think the Australians have behaved impeccably, under terrible circumstances, they are doing all they can to stop these fires. They are going through enough without being criticised. From all I have seen on the news they are working tirelessly to help wildlife despite many losing their homes and possessions.

When I was a child, I can remember the poisoning of rabbits in Australia. They were deliberately given myxomatosis, a terrible disease, to control their ever increasing numbers.
This worked at first but the rabbits built resistance.

Rabbits had been introduced by the European settlers in the early 1800s.

Deer are sometimes culled in Scotland to control numbers, because of a lack of food. The alternative is to let them starve to death. As others have said, these poor camels are likely to die anyway. It’s either dying from a gun shot or dying of thirst.

We did it here too, Grammaretto
I remember my mother saying she would never eat rabbit again, not that I ever remember eating it anyway.

I wish they could find something to kill off them cane toads.

The! Not them