Australian feral camel population estimated to be at 1.2 million and growing fast AN INVASIVE species is spreading across Australia at an alarming rate and baffled Aussies are … One such example is Summer Land Camels, which now grazes more than 550 camels on its 850-acre organic farm in Queensland. They occupy an area of approximately 3.3 million square kilometres of rangeland that incorporates many different land tenures.

However the world's largest population of feral dromedary camels, are in the western outback in Australia.

Australia is now thought to have the largest wild camel population in the world, with official estimates suggesting more than one million are roaming the country's inland deserts. Inhabiting the deserts of the Middle East, central Asia and northern Africa, the dromedary camel is a large herbivore. Camels aren't native to Australia - they were brought over by British settlers from India, Afghanistan and the Middle East in the 19th century. These camels were used for riding, draft and pack animals, and exploration. The 2010 National Feral Camel Management Plan estimated that over 1 million wild camels populate Australia, a number that was expected to double in 8 to 10 years if left unmanaged. Between 1840 and 1907 thousand camels were imported into Australia. Large populations of feral camels in Australia There are approximately 1 to 1.2 million feral camels in Australia, and their numbers are thought to be doubling every 8-9 years. The population of feral camels in Australia reached 1 million in 2008 but was reduced to 300,000 by 2013 although this number is climbing by 10% each year. Camels have a low potential rate of increase with females usually giving birth to one young every second year, but they are long lived, up to 50 years, and have few mortality factors, other than by human intervention. But their milk is starting to gain a following among Australians. Camels were introduced to Australia from India and Afghanistan during the 19th century, and were used for transport and construction. Opened in 2015, The Camel Milk Co. of Australia has a milking herd of 70, and the Victorian farm is far larger than it was when Tee Rowe began working there four years ago. There are believed to be more than 1 million camels in Australia and the country's camel population is growing rapidly. Feral aggregations of up to 500 individuals have been recorded in Australia. Millions of animals are dying … Australia is now believed to have the largest wild camel population in the world, with officials estimating that up to 1 million camels are currently roaming the country's inland deserts. The fact that Australian camels enjoy a near disease-free status greatly enhances their suitability for commercial use in the meat industry and even for live export. The largest population of camels in the wild, estimated in 2013 at 300,000 individuals increasing at roughly 10 per cent per year, is found in neither Arabia nor Mongolia, the traditional homelands of genuinely wild camels, but instead in the Australian desert.

Still, the camel remains far less identifiable as an Australian icon than kangaroos, wombats and koalas. Introduced to Australia in the 19th century for transport, it went on to form feral populations, which now spread across central Australia, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, northern parts of South Australia, and outback Queensland. In recent years Australia has also explored other ways of controlling camel population, like setting up infrastructure to facilitate export of camel meat and rearing them in farms. As they are well suited to the arid conditions of central Australia, their numbers flourished. The strange story of Australia's camel Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Firefighters tackle blazes in New South Wales Australian bushfires have left …