5,000 Camels Have Been Shot Down to Preserve Water in Australia

The fires in Australia are a huge tragedy, with consequences not only for people but also for animals. In fact, Australian snipers had to kill more than 5000 wild camels to save water to put out the fires. The reason behind this brutal measure is that wild herds of non-native animals are also devastating indigenous villages when migrating from one area to another in search of water.

The fires in Australia are a huge tragedy, with consequences not only for people but also for animals. In fact, Australian snipers had to kill more than 5000 wild camels to save water to put out the fires. The sad news comes from an AFP press release. These wild herds of non-native animals are also devastating indigenous villages. In fact, the drought caused by the recent huge fires is particularly affecting their communities.

How Herds Are Devastating Indigenous Communities

For Aborigines in particular, these wandering herds of camels are a big problem. First of all, it is important to specify that they are not native to Australia. In fact, it was humans who imported them in past centuries. Over time they have become accustomed to the temperatures in those areas. However, since the fires that hit the whole country, temperatures have risen dramatically.

As a result, camels have started to suffer more heat.

Precisely because of the extreme heat produced by the fires, these animals are migrating from one area to another in search of water. By doing so, in addition to damaging the water infrastructure, they also pose a real danger to vehicle drivers. Despite the concerns announced by activists and animal rights activists, sniper teams have continued to shoot these animals. They are now regarded as real vermin introduced into an environment that is not their own.

In addition to consuming huge amounts of precious water for the locals, especially for the native groups, these camels often die near water sources. This means that their bodies are rotting and irreparably pollute the water sources themselves. As a result, water becomes no longer usable not only by humans but also by other animals, especially birds. In other words, there is a great waste of water that people could use to put out fires or even just to drink.

And the prolonged drought is only making this situation enormously worse. Unfortunately, mass culling has proved to be the only solution, although it may appear the most brutal.

Where Are Australian Camels From?

The first camels in Australia arrived around 1840. People considered them very useful for exploring the vast inland areas of this continent. These animals in fact adapt very well to the heat and very dry regions of the Australian outback. Over the following decades, however, tens of thousands of camels were imported. Of course they started to reproduce and over time they proliferated in some ways without control.