Hunters to cull wild camels

SYDNEY - Marksmen in helicopters will take to the desert skies of central Australia to cull some of the thousands of camels whose numbers have exploded since being released into the wild more than a century ago.

The sharpshooters will target herds of wild camels in an attempt to stop them from fouling water holes and damaging fences, after complaints from the owners of sprawling sheep and cattle properties.

The cull will begin in the next few days in South Australia, home to about a quarter of the continent's estimated half million wild dromedaries.

It is the largest wild population in the world and is believed to be growing at the rate of 10 per cent a year.

Australia's continuing drought is forcing the camels to migrate from the desert interior and to seek food and water in national parks, Aboriginal reserves and Outback ranches.

"There was one waterhole which had 500 camels drinking from it," senior pastoral inspector Chris Turner, of the South Australian Government, said. "They drink a massive amount of water and compete with cattle and sheep."

He said the shooters may take out a couple of thousand, "or it could be three times that".

The dead camels will be left to rot where they fall or be "cleaned up" by dingoes.