They are here – everywhere along the roadside there are big red bodies in various stages of decomposition , but nowhere to be seen frisking like Skippy in the outback!
I have seen hundreds of dead animals , with very possessive eagles scavenging their remains, but it does seem difficult to see anything actually living out here.
Even although I am told there are now two million feral camels – not one of them has shown his face from the undergrowth!
Camel info
The camels were brought over in the 1840’s to help build the trail across to the centre of Australia – especially the railroads – which then made all the camels and their owners redundant!
The unemployed cameleers had to go home and the camels -unsalable in the environment of the time – were released into the environment , where they not only survived , but thrived.
Camels really like the heat and terrain of the Australian Outback, they can survive for days without water as long as they have moisture rich pasture and some occasional opportunities to refill the fatty hump from which they withdraw their energy. These camels – originally from Pakistan or Afghanistan – thoroughly enjoy munching on 82 per cent of the wild flora of Australia and those in captivity get a bonus diet of oaten hay and lucerne!
The initial estimate of 1,500 dromedary pack camels have now successfully developed into an estimated 2 million feral camels!!! They are now viewed as pests and even being culled in some areas! Some entrepreneurs have now started to catch them and sell them back to the Middle East , where they are much appreciated as they are so healthy!
The camel farm near to Uluru supports 45 tamed camels who now provide twice daily rides out into the desert for people like me – and the really lovely thing was how genuinely fond all the staff seem to be of their charges! The owner has been passionate about camels since he got his first one when he was 15 years old – and even a treck across Australia on camel back has only increased his affection for the animals!
My camel was called Lasseter – after the highway near which he was found I believe – he is a very small and pretty camel (as camels go!) and when he was found he was with a gigantic camel now called Hercules. Hercules definitively did not want to be caught and the owners showed me a picture of the struggle the poor beast had put up when he realised he was going to be put behind bars – he was desperate poor thing! However he has been saved by his love for his companion , Lasseter , from whom he is still inseparable – and during our ride he walked contentedly behind his beloved , continuously chewing, with his chin resting on Lasseter’s right buttock! This suited me as I could fondle his ears and lie to him that he too was a beautiful camel, but it was clear that his heart was still with Lasseter.
Camels are relatively easy to train because they are intelligent and are also rumoured to have physic powers such as being able to feel oncoming earth tremors and avalanches through their gigantic feet. In Hercules’ case he just wants to please his partner – to the extent of defending his smaller friend from other camels who tried to bully him and pulling down some scrumptious branches that were out of his reach and holding them down while Lasseter munched his fill!
How sweet is that?
Photos will be uploaded when I am back on mainframe!
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