Outrage over cull of farting camels

The world's association of camel scientists fought back angrily over Australian plans to kill wild dromedaries on the grounds that their flatulence adds to global warming. The idea is "false and stupid... a scientific aberration", the International Society of Camelid Research and Development (ISOCARD) charged, saying camels were being made culprits for a man-made problem.

"We believe that the good-hearted people and innovating nation of Australia can come up with better and smarter solutions than eradicating camels in inhumane ways," it said. The kill-a-camel suggestion is floated in a paper distributed by Australia's Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, as part of consultations for reducing the country's carbon footprint.



The scheme is the brainchild of an Adelaide-based commercial company, Northwest Carbon, a land and animal management consultancy, which proposes killing feral camels in exchange for carbon credits. Camels were introduced to the Outback in the 19th century to help early settlers cope with hot, arid conditions. Now they number around 1.2 million and, say some, are a pest because of the damage they inflict to vegetation and their intestinal gases.

Each camel, according to the champions of a cull, emits 45kg of methane, the equivalent of one tonne a year in carbon dioxide (CO2), the main warming gas. Northwest Carbon says it would shoot the camels from helicopters or corral them before sending them to an abattoir for eating by humans or pets. But ISOCARD, an association of more than 300 researchers headquartered at al Ain University in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said the calculations were absurd.