Abos hunt camels to get rid of the vermin
Sir John Howard
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/10/wcamel110.xml
Aborigines in Australia's arid desert interior have hit on an
innovative way of tackling the boredom and substance abuse which have
ravaged so many of their communities - hunting camels.
Where their forbears pursued traditional prey such as kangaroos and
monitor lizards, the younger generation is heading into the scrub to
shoot plentiful one-humped dromedaries.
The camels were introduced in the 19th century from India to haul
supplies for explorers, pioneers and prospectors. They became
redundant with the advent of railways and motor cars and thousands
were released into the wild.
However, they adapted to Australian conditions extraordinarily well
and are now considered a pest. More than a million roam the Outback,
mostly in South Australia, the Northern Territory and Western
Australia. Biologists say the population is doubling every eight
years.
They are seen as a growing threat to desert ecosystems and Outback
cattle properties because they foul water holes and barge through wire
fences.
In the remote outpost of Kintore, a six-hour drive west of Alice
Springs, Aborigine teenagers venture into the desert once a week in
search of feral camels.
The camels are mostly shot by one of the town's three police officers,
who accompany the hunting expeditions.
"The first time we went out, we got three camels - two big ones and
one small one," said Farren Marks, 19, who like many young men in the
community has no job and spends much of the day listening to American
gangster rap music.
"It makes me happy to go out hunting because I can bring back meat for
my family."
Like many isolated Aboriginal settlements, Kintore offers few jobs and
almost no recreational opportunities. Boredom and frustration drive
teenagers to crime, alcohol, cannabis use and petrol sniffing - a
habit which can leave addicts wheelchair-bound or dead.
The camel hunting initiative started six months ago. So far around 15
animals have been shot and butchered by a shifting group of around 20
hunters, the youngest just 13.
"The young fellas are pretty good at tracking the camels," said Tom
Holyoake, a white youth worker tasked with preventing substance abuse
in the town of 300 people.
"When they find a camel they shoot it, butcher it, bring the meat back
and share it with their families."
Despite there being so many camels, Aborigines had in the past been
reluctant to hunt them because of religious beliefs.
Many older indigenous people, educated in Christian mission schools,
came to regard the animals as sacred because camels bore the Three
Wise Men to see baby Jesus.
"Now that [eating camel] has been approved, people grab the meat as
quick as they can and go off and start cooking dinner," said Mr
Holyoake.