IPB University Expert Reveals Australia’s Strategy to Turn the Threat of Wild Camel Overpopulation into Economic Potential
When it comes to camels, our minds automatically think of the Middle East and Africa, which are traditionally known for having the largest camel populations. However, not many people know that the region with the largest camel population in the world is Australia. Currently, there are more than 1 million wild camels in Australia.
Prof Ronny Rachman Noor, Ecological Genetics Expert at IPB University, said that the combination of environmental conditions and the very unique behavior of camels has caused camels to grow rapidly and their population to explode in Australia. This condition is a problem in itself, especially related to environmental degradation and its invasion of livestock areas.
“According to records, camels are not native to Australia. Camels were introduced to Australia in the 1800s. At that time, camels were very much needed for the purpose of exploring areas that were still untouched by humans. This is because camels are ideal as transport animals because they can survive in dry and hot areas, which are typical of the Australian climate,” said Prof Ronny.
In that era, camels imported from Afghanistan did play a very important role in the development and construction of Australia. However, over time, the role of camels began to decline drastically in the 20th century when motorized vehicles were well developed and commonly used, including in remote areas.
Prof Ronny said, when the golden age of camels had passed, camel owners slaughtered their camels and some released them into the wild because they were no longer needed. Some of these wild camels are extensively reared by the indigenous Australian Aborigines for meat and power.
“The camels that were released in a short period of time grew rapidly and uncontrollably, which became a problem for Australia, especially in terms of environmental degradation and reducing feed and water supplies for livestock,” he explained.
In a short period of time, the wild camel population grew rapidly. They cover an area of more than 3,3 million square kilometers, occupying about 40 percent of Australia’s territory and threatening about 80 percent of its pastures.
To solve the problem of uncontrolled wild camel population, the Australian government took drastic measures such as culling wild camels by shooting them dead. This step was taken to reduce the wild camel population to a level of 300 thousand heads.
“Efforts to control the wild camel population in Australia are not cheap. It is estimated that the direct impact of economic losses due to the presence of wild camels reaches $10 million per year. In addition, every year the government spends around $15 million to control the wild camel population,” said Prof Ronny.
According to him, the efforts of the Australian community and government to capture wild camels, both for export and meat consumption, have not been significant enough to reduce the rapid growth of the wild camel population.
From Threat to Opportunity
Today, the golden era of camels being utilized for their power has faded. But on the other hand, the benefits of camels can be revived if they are farmed.
The impact of climate change, which has made Australia drier, has hit traditional livestock farming such as cattle and sheep farming hard. As a result, many farms in Australia are experiencing difficulties especially in the dry season.
“In this situation, camels can be one of the solutions as an alternative source of income for farmers. Raising camels is profitable because camels are one of the livestock that are free from disease,” said Prof Ronny.
“Camel meat, although only popular among migrants, has now begun to be exported as a lucrative premium meat commodity or live camel export,” he continued.
With a huge wild camel population and extensive husbandry, the Australian government is trying to break into the international camel meat market by selling disease-free camel meat.
“In Australia, the need and demand for camel meat and also other products such as milk, is starting to grow. Australians are starting to recognize camel meat and milk as healthy livestock products,” said Prof Ronny.
The development of this domestic market is indeed encouraging because camel products can be used for various purposes such as meat products, milk, cheese, and skin care beauty products. In Australia, camel milk is also gaining popularity due to its low lactose content.
In the future, Prof Ronny predicts that camel meat and milk in Australia will become more popular among the public, especially if they are widely available in supermarkets as well as beef, lamb, chicken and kangaroo.
“As an illustration, the price of camel meat in Australia is around $13 per kg or around Rp130 thousand while the price of camel milk per liter reaches $25 or around Rp250 thousand,” explained Prof Ronny.
“The government program to maintain the wild camel population at around 700 thousand heads opens up opportunities to export live camels to Qatar, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, as well as Middle Eastern, African and South American countries that have high demand,” he continued.
“Now the Australian government is trying hard to maximize the potential of its wild camels while protecting its environment from damage caused by the presence of these wild camels. If this effort is successful, Australia will be listed as the world’s largest supplier of camels and their processed products,” Prof Ronny concluded. (*/Rz) (IAAS/LAN)
