Only begun, the Camel Wars have.

[Jolt]

Feral camels overrun small NT community


LARINE STATHAM
November 25, 2009 - 6:49PM

AAP

Residents in a small central Australian community are being held hostage by a herd of thirsty, marauding camels.

Docker River, 500km south west of Alice Springs, has been inundated by thousands of feral camels in recent weeks.

The Northern Territory Government on Wednesday said it would conduct an emergency cull of some 6000 feral camels.

As well as the camels smashing water infrastructure in their hunt for moisture, the quality of drinking water in the town is being threatened by the decaying bodies of camels that have been trampled by their herd.

The camels have over-run the airport, making it near impossible for aircraft to land or for medical emergency evacuations to take place.

MacDonnell Shire Council chief executive officer, Graham Taylor said many members of the community were too frightened to leave their homes.

"The social and psychological impacts on some people about being contained in homes and not being able to step out, so there will be some cost factors for the community there," he told reporters in Alice Springs on Wednesday.

Mr Taylor said residents were not overly concerned when about 30 camels came into the town looking for water a few weeks ago, but that fear had grown as numbers increased steadily day by day.

"We need to get the risk and that threat away from the people."

NT Local Government Minister Rob Knight said the camels would be mustered away from the town by helicopters before being shot.

"The community of Docker River is under siege by 6000 marauding, wild camels," he told reporters.

"They're actually coming up to the houses taking water off the overflow from the rooftop air-conditioning.

"This is a very critical situation out there, it's very unusual and it needs urgent action."

Mr Knight said the camel carcasses would be left in the desert to decay.

"We don't have the luxury of time because the herd is getting bigger."

NT Environment Minister Karl Hampton said he hoped the emergency response, which will be activated next week to help the 350 residents in Docker River, would set a bench mark for the federal government's $19 million nation camel action plan.

Mr Hampton could not provide any details of the proposed national scheme.

"Maybe it will give us an idea of how we should tackle the bigger or broader problem," he said.

"We need to look at whether there are economic benefits of what we can do with camels."

It is understood the long-term federal camel action plan will be released for public consultation in December.

© 2009 AAP

Source

It appears the Anti-Camel Organization was right all along, as the great Camel invasion has begun, surely with the help of the Camel Worshipping Collective. Now people cannot leave their homes as the Camel army has occupied the towns and threatens to kill every human through dehydration. Surely all humans must stand united and defeat the Camel threat to the world.

[Whacker]

I told you! I have been saying this from the beginning!

[drone]

Where's Mithrandir?

[Sarmatian]

Where's Mithrandir?

Haven't you heard? Mithrandir is... one of them now. I'm sorry...

[Monk]

Where's Mithrandir?

Leading the charge, of course.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

The social and psychological impacts on some people about being contained in homes and not being able to step out, so there will be some cost factors for the community there," he told reporters in Alice Springs on Wednesday.

What bull, how great would it be to have a story about the time your town was held hostage by 6000 camels.

[Major Robert Dump]

I think I would take the side of the camels. I mean surely they could be domesticated, or eaten, or put to work as a telemarketer or something, yes? Just killing them seems like such a waste.

[Jolt]

I think I would take the side of the camels. I mean surely they could be domesticated, or eaten, or put to work as a telemarketer or something, yes? Just killing them seems like such a waste.

Spare them and before long, we'll have news of Camel Towns being held hostage by 6000 humans!

[pevergreen]

Hi guys, whats up? Just back from a trip to the Northern Territory.


Laying supply dumps.

[Papewaio]

You see you can't draw a line in the sand and expect the camels to toe it.

[Pannonian]

Decimate the herd. Draw camel lots to see which survive and which get culled.

[naut]

federal government's $19 million nation camel action plan.

What the hell. Killing camels would not cost that much.

[Monk]

What the hell. Killing camels would not cost that much.

You don't really believe they spend $20,000 on a hammer do you?

[Samurai Waki]

I always say, Independence Day references never get old.

This seems too convenient... The camels are up to something, and the Australian government is going to cover this up somehow, I better check google earth to make sure there isn't a black censor covering up Alice Springs.

[Whacker]

SLAY THEM ALL.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

In all seriousness, they need to come up with as humane a method to deal with this as possible. Looking at reality and nature, many of these animals would die slowly and painfully of starvation or dehydration without human intervention, so some serious culling is probably in order.

[Banquo's Ghost]

In all seriousness, they need to come up with as humane a method to deal with this as possible. Looking at reality and nature, many of these animals would die slowly and painfully of starvation or dehydration without human intervention, so some serious culling is probably in order.

Maybe they need to import some Nepalis consumed by religious frenzy?

[Whacker]

Maybe they need to import some Nepalis consumed by religious frenzy?

......

You're gonna have to help me out here, I don't get it.

[Banquo's Ghost]

......

You're gonna have to help me out here, I don't get it.

Sorry. I forget that not everyone has to read every single post here.

This thread.

[Whacker]

Good god that is horrendous. I can understand a single sacrifice here and there, or even perhaps a few animals killed in a rather quick, humane way. But that is just disgusting. Blech.

[Lemur]

When you have a war ... people die.

Australian authorities plan to corral about 6,000 wild camels with helicopters and gun them down after they overran a small Outback town in search of water, trampling fences, smashing tanks and contaminating supplies. [...]

The carcasses of camels killed in stampedes at water storage areas are contaminating the water supply, he added.

The government plans to use helicopters to herd the camels about nine miles (15 kilometers) outside of town next week, where they will be shot and their carcasses left to decay in the desert. The state government will give a 49,000 Australian dollar ($45,000) grant for the cull and to repair damaged infrastructure in the town.

"We don't have the luxury of time because the herd is getting bigger," Knight said.

[caravel]

Our time is now...

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

When you have a war ... people die.

Australian authorities plan to corral about 6,000 wild camels with helicopters and gun them down after they overran a small Outback town in search of water, trampling fences, smashing tanks and contaminating supplies. [...]

The carcasses of camels killed in stampedes at water storage areas are contaminating the water supply, he added.

The government plans to use helicopters to herd the camels about nine miles (15 kilometers) outside of town next week, where they will be shot and their carcasses left to decay in the desert. The state government will give a 49,000 Australian dollar ($45,000) grant for the cull and to repair damaged infrastructure in the town.

"We don't have the luxury of time because the herd is getting bigger," Knight said.

Clearly, the Australian government lacks horse archers to deal with this problem effectively.

[KarlXII]

I don't like that plan one bit. Sure, they need to get rid of the camels, but for God's sake, they're just camels! It'll be a sad day to see these Camels die.

Those about to have their cull sold, we salute you!

[pevergreen]

Anyone care to join me in a march of protest?

[Jolt]

Clearly, the Australian government lacks horse archers to deal with this problem effectively.

Use them to make Camel Archers!

[Beefy187]

I too will take the side of the camels.
They're highly intelligent and they don't deserve to be killed.

Cmon Greenpeace. Today is your day.

[Papewaio]

Not bad for a non-native large mammal to be in such numbers in a desert region.

[pevergreen]

I'm surprised they survived the initial aerial attack of the Drop Bears.

[Hosakawa Tito]

Wow. Night of the living dead, only with camels. I hope Mith makes it back okay....

[Papewaio]

If the locals don't kill him, the camel orgy might afterwards...