Current Issues

Trial aerial baiting of dingoes for inside Dog Fence: Media Release, 10 April 2012

Environment to benefit from fledgling camel business

Weeds under the spotlight in comprehensive review

Mice

Camel tracking in the Simpson Desert (PDF 897.3 KB )
more on camels

Recent Publications

Alert Weed Fact Sheets

Alert Pest Animal Fact Sheets

Biological control of weeds fact sheets

List of weeds banned from sale in SA (PDF 312.5 KB )

Management of feral camels in South Australia

Feral camels   Feral camels

Management of feral camels across the Australian rangelands is a complex issue with the estimated population of 1 million camels expected to double in the next 8-10 years if left unchecked.  At the current population level feral camels are having significant negative impacts across their range and are expanding into new areas.  These impacts are environmental, social, cultural and economic.

At the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council in May 2009 the Hon Peter Garrett announced that a National Feral Camel Action Plan (NCAP) would be developed to unify all aspects of camel management now and into the future. The Commonwealth also endorsed development of a national Caring for Our Country (CFOC) project to provide an immediate national management response to protect rangelands biodiversity and ecosystems from camel impacts.

The State Feral Camel Management Project is a joint initiative of the Department of Primary Industries and Resources South Australia (PIRSA) and the Department for Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), including the SA Arid Lands and Alinytjara Wilurara Natural Resources Management Boards. It aims to establish a series of planning, surveillance, removal, education and monitoring activities that will deliver a long term reduction in feral camel numbers and their impacts in South Australia.  The state project will collaborate with the national CFOC project in implementing the National Feral Camel Action Plan.

The State Feral Camel Management Project seeks to remove camels from the South Australian landscape using a combination of control methods including aerial control and harvesting for sale and slaughter. The project will also fund construction of exclosures to protect priority environmental and cultural assets from camel damage. It will establish stakeholder consultation mechanisms to ensure ongoing feral camel management is strategic, cost effective and coordinated within SA and nationally. Information packages, communication strategies and training materials for best practice removal of feral camels (including consideration of animal welfare issues) will be produced.  Cost effective field methods to census camel populations and monitor their impacts will also be developed.

The State Feral Camel Management Project is a strategic investment to protect the environmental, economic and social values of South Australia’s rangelands from the negative impacts of feral camels. The project’s legacy will be rangelands communities having the capacity to undertake sustainable management of feral camels.

Report feral camel sightings via feralscan.org (external site)

See also the National Camel Project (external site)

For information on camels, please contact your local Natural Resources Management Board (external site)