SYDNEY, May 23 (Xinhua) -- A four-year trial using camels to control the spread of prickly acacia, one of Australia's most damaging invasive weeds, has delivered promising results in outback Queensland.
More than 30 camels were deployed on a 40,000-hectare property near Muttaburra, over 1,200 kilometers northwest of Brisbane, as part of the trial in western Queensland. The camels grazed on the thorny shrub, helping to curb its spread, according to a report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
Australia is home to the largest population of wild camels in the world. While the animals did not eradicate the weed entirely, they proved effective in reducing its proliferation by physically damaging about 30 percent of the plants and consuming the flowers, which helped prevent seed dispersal, the ABC reported.
"It's an effective method," said Desert Channels Queensland operations manager Geoff Penton. Prickly acacia, first introduced in the early 1900s, costs Queensland farmers an estimated 27.5 million Australian dollars (18.3 million U.S. dollars) each year in lost productivity.
Following the trial's success, interest among landholders has grown, and a second phase is now underway to evaluate how seasonal changes affect camel grazing patterns, the ABC reported.
Veteran cameleer Paul Keegan, who supplied camels for the project, told local media that the results confirmed camels as a sustainable alternative to chemical controls.
Although feral camels are often viewed as pests in Australia, criticized for damaging infrastructure and competing with livestock, their role in controlling prickly acacia may offer a cost-effective solution.
David Batt, who has relied on camels to manage the weed on his 80,000-hectare cattle and sheep station west of Winton in Queensland for 25 years, told ABC that the financial benefit has been substantial. ■
