Australia fires: Thousands of camels being slaughtered

[Eugene]

Source: BBC

Australia fires: Thousands of camels being slaughtered

8 January 2020

Thousands of camels in South Australia will be shot dead from helicopters as a result of extreme heat and drought.

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.

Some feral horses will also be killed.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-51032145


Camels were brought to Australia in the 19th century and have since become feral (Getty Images)

[SharonClark]

1. Shot for looking for water. This is so incredibly sad.

Humans do not deserve to live among other species.

[appalachiablue]

4. Very sad, tragic. It's also an honest if painful insight

into human behavior. How people can exploit camels when they are essential and then abandon them when another means of transportation arrives like with automobiles and railroads in Australia. It says a lot about people unfortunately.

[2naSalit]

2. That's sad.

But then, camels are incredible mean and brutal with little provocation, I can't imagine what it's like trying to survive there right now.

[in2herbs]

3. Humans who condone the execution of animals are animals. Today it was reported that

4,500 flying foxes and hundreds of bats have succumbed to the fires. According to reports the koala species is essentially extinct.

Nothing will change. there needs to be a die-off but not of animals. I am sick and tired of the human races inhumanity.

[msongs]

5. are u a vegetarian then? nt

[NickB79]

6. They should have been shot dead years ago. All of them. Camels are non-native and invasive

They were only introduced to Australia in the early 1800's as beasts of burden, and destroy habitat that native Australian marsupials need to survive. They have no natural predators given their size, and their population is doubling every 20 years.

You can't claim to care about Australia's native species plight while being outraged over cullings like this. They aren't compatible.