An audit of an aerial camel cull in 2003, conducted by veterinarian Jordan Hampton for the Australian feral camel management project, found that 99.6% of camels died within four seconds of being shot and 83% died instantly, making it a relatively humane death.
Spencer said species that formed close matriarchal bonds, like elephants, did not make good Judases, because they were unable to move on from the killing of their family.
He said results showed the technique could be effective in controlling Australia’s feral camels, which remained surprisingly elusive despite their massive population.
“You can go out and search, you can look, you can see some camels, you can go back to get your gear and your buddies, but when you come back to find the camels they’re gone,†Spencer said.
There are estimated to be between 600,000 and 1m camels in the arid centres of Western Australia, the Northern Territory and South Australia.
About 10,000 camels were introduced to Australia in the 19th century for use as pack animals, but Spencer said the population exploded in the late 1900s and now doubled every eight years.
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