Rogue animals removed from Central Australia national parks

THE Northern Territory Government killed 6567 feral camels in 2014, a Pastoral Land Board annual report tabled in Parliament said.

A Northern Territory report states more than a million feral camels are ravaging rural Australia and it has been suggested that the population should be culled by 400,000 animals. Aerial view of feral camels mustered by helicopter. (Pic: Hans Boessem)

THE Northern Territory Government killed 6567 feral camels in 2014, according to the Pastoral Land Board annual report tabled in Parliament last week.

The government used “internal funds” to continue aerial culling on pastoral leases after a national campaign ended in December 2013.

The report suggests the culling was effective.

“Aerial surveys conducted in 2013 indicated that camel densities in the NT were reduced by upwards of 80 per cent ... and recent anecdotal reports indicate that camels are not causing any major issues in the NT at present,” the report states.

Aerial culling has been reported as humane.

It’s also revealed that 1887 horses and 217 donkeys were removed from Aboriginal land and national parks in Central Australia during 2014.

In his report, chairman Richard Galton says the board held its 100th meeting in 2014.

The board is a statutory authority responsible for overseeing clearing of native vegetation on pastoral land.

It also advises the Minister on matters related to pastoral leases.

Mr Galton reported that rangeland monitoring officers visited 36 properties across seven pastoral districts in 2014, up from 29 the previous year.

“Of the 36 properties visited, 22 were assessed in good condition, seven were assessed in fair condition, one was assessed in fair to poor condition and five were assessed in poor condition,” he said.

“The properties that were assessed in poor condition were all located in the southern NT, where below-average seasonal conditions were experienced.

“This fact was also reflected in the Northern Territory Government providing seasonal hardship rent waivers for pastoralists in the Plenty, southern and northern Alice Springs pastoral districts in 2014.”

The board is also responsible for approving non-pastoral use permits.

Minister for Land Resource Management, Willem Westra van Holthe, told Parliament two were approved last year for tourist activities at Curtin Springs and Narwietooma stations in Central Australia.

Mr Westra van Holthe commended the board’s rangeland monitoring activities.

“This ensures the government has an understanding of the condition of our pastoral estate at any given movement,” he said.

“It is important we do this because we need to understand and be confident that the pastoral property lessees are doing the right thing by the property.

“They are caretakers of land that is owned by the Northern Territory Government and provided to them by way of a lease.”