Review of the management of feral animals and their impact on ...

time comes for <strong>the</strong> camels to be harvested, <strong>the</strong> one-way gates are set <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> camels
will be trapped with minimal effort. This technique may not work where camel herds
are dispersed <strong>and</strong> densities are low, or because <strong>the</strong> water requirements <strong>of</strong> camels
cause <strong>the</strong>m to visit <strong>the</strong> water holes only infrequently. Construction <strong>of</strong> a purpose-built
export abattoir could open up new markets for camel meat with <strong>the</strong> added benefit that
all camels, irrespective <strong>of</strong> size <strong>and</strong> sex, could be utilised all year round. Commercial
harvesting will not control camel numbers; however it may play a part in an integrated
control strategy <strong>and</strong> allow for cost-<strong>of</strong>fsetting.
Fencing
Appropriate fencing can effectively exclude <strong>feral</strong> camels, but it does not reduce <strong>the</strong>ir
population number, just shifts <strong>the</strong> point <strong>of</strong> <strong>impact</strong> to less valuable areas. However,
appropriate use <strong>of</strong> fencing may help conserve areas <strong>of</strong> high conservation value by
limiting excluding <strong>the</strong> <strong>feral</strong> animal <strong>impact</strong>s. South <strong>of</strong> Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park,
Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Territory, attempts have been made to fence <strong>of</strong>f culturally important
waterholes to prevent <strong>the</strong>m being fouled by <strong>feral</strong> camels. (Dörges & Heucke 1995) At
<strong>the</strong> main reference area Newhaven, enclosure studies were undertaken. To protect
highly preferred food plants from camel browsing, a st<strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> Acacia sessiliceps was
fenced in with ‘camel proved’ fence. Fur<strong>the</strong>rmore a claypan which was regularly used
by <strong>the</strong> camels as a watering point was fenced in, using <strong>the</strong> same material. Both
experiments proved successful. The tested ‘camel proved’ fence is <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> following
design:
A st<strong>and</strong>ard cattle fence (three lines barbed wire) is extended in height to at
least 1.6 metres. The additional top wire is made visible by adding light
reflecting objects (i.e. empty beer cans). These are put on small pieces <strong>of</strong> plain
wire (like pearls on a string) which are <strong>the</strong>n tied onto <strong>the</strong> top barbed wire. The
result is a higher, much more visible <strong>and</strong> on windy days even audible fence.
Camels can be excluded from certain areas through <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong> electric fences,
although <strong>the</strong>y must be properly designed <strong>and</strong> easily visible to <strong>the</strong> camels or <strong>the</strong>re is
<strong>the</strong> risk <strong>of</strong> substantial damage to <strong>the</strong> fences. Recommendations for electric fence
design <strong>and</strong> construction for camel control are available from some state agencies (e.g.
Bertram 1996).
Judas camel
Any systems to improve <strong>the</strong> chances <strong>of</strong> locating mobs <strong>of</strong> camels <strong>and</strong> improving <strong>the</strong>ir
subsequent capture are financially beneficial. Because <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir gregarious nature, <strong>the</strong>
‘Judas’ animal technique (Parkes et al. 1996), which uses radio-collared individuals,
should prove a useful tool in locating herds <strong>of</strong> <strong>feral</strong> camels targeted for control or for
<strong>the</strong> purpose <strong>of</strong> commercial utilisation. Satellite telemetry would be a cost-effective
way to implement <strong>the</strong> ‘Judas’ animal technique, particularly in <strong>the</strong> more arid regions
where camels move over very large areas.
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