Australia has the largest population of camels in the world.
Australia isn’t just a home for koalas and kangaroos; the camel is also one of the country’s most prevalent species. Thousands of the two main species of Australian feral camels, most dromedaries but also Bactrian camels, were imported into Australia during the 19th century for transport and construction as part of the colonization of the central and western part of Australia.
By the 20th century, motorized transport replaced the camel’s role in the country, and it was freed into the wild. As of now, the feral population is around one million with a doubling time of about 9 years. The ironic thing is, that while they were used to create infrastructure, feral camels are now damaging infrastructure.
They will sometimes destroy taps, pumps, and even toilets to obtain water, particularly when the country is going through a drought.
