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Need
for Water
This depends on many factors such as: age,
body-weight, disease status, level of exercise,
lactation status, the season and dry matter content
of the feed eaten.
Camels often derive all or most of their water from
the plants they eat. When plants are dry, camels
walk up to 60 km to water holes every second or
third day. If water holes and plants are both dry,
then camels can perish. Watering points are often
too salty for other animals to drink from them
however camels can drink as they tolerate high
levels of salt. Camels and kangaroos are often seen
together in desert areas indicating similar
abilities in both species.
Thus in normal times camels can be found scattered
throughout desert areas away from watering points.
During dry times and during the calving season the
herds will be found closer to watering points (salt
lakes as well as the waterholes in creeks
etc.).
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Food
Preferences
Camels are browsers, and possess a split upper
lip suited to pull leaves from the prickliest trees
and shrubs. Free ranging camels browse trees a very
wide range of plants. They tend to select the
freshest first but always mix their intake. The
camel has a particular, unique stomach system that
efficiently breaks down leaves etc. into food
stuffs.
Studies in the Alice Springs district found camels
selected up to 82% of available plant species
located in a 200 square kilometre study area. They
preferred plants with a high moisture and mineral
(salt) content, the leaves of trees and shrubs and
also herbs/forbs rather than grass. Grass is
primarily eaten after rain and before herbs or
forbs are available.
Camels like the area surrounding salt lakes
(particularly in winter) as the vegetation has a
high moisture content, is often salty and easily
digestible. Look for camels in the areas that have
good fresh growth. Camels eat over a wide area of
country selecting a variety of food types.
Therefore don't exclude tree or shrub
areas.
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Seasonal
Herd Structure
Seasonal sexual activity occurs in both the the
female. The main breeding season commences in April
and continues to September. Limited breeding
outside these still occur.
Free ranging camels run in different groupings
during the breeding season and the non breeding
season In the non breeding season camels are found
in separate herds of immature and mature bulls,
isolated old bulls and the cow/calf herds.
Male calves are forced out of the cow/calf herd at
2 years of age. In the breeding season the pregnant
cows seek solitude during parturition. After giving
birth cows tend to form new groups with other
nursing mothers.
Bulls come into rut primarily from April to
September. Dominant bulls in rut break up the cow
herds to create harems. The size of the individual
herds thus become smaller. Weaker and or younger
bulls may come into rut when the stronger bulls
have ceased rutting. These bulls are summer
rutters.
Not all bulls come into rut at the one time. As one
bull's rut decreases the harem will be taken over
by another bull in rut. Periods of rut are
nutritionally demanding and severe weight loss
occurs. In a feral herd this has the effect of
ceasing the rut for that bull. Consequently several
dominant males are active through the breeding
season.
It is therefore best to capture bull camel
herds and/or cow herds out of the breeding season
when herd sizes are largest. Cow herds contain sub
mature camels that can be kept in a paddock to grow
out to slaughter weight. These camels are easy to
train to fences and yards.
Bulls in rut need to be kept until they come out of
rut before they can be slaughtered. In the feral
situation this may be impossible and consequently
they have to be released. There will always be a
seasonal problem of supply of bull camels for
slaughter. The way around the problem is to capture
bulls in the non breeding season, castrate them and
then supply the abattoir with these camels 3-4
months after castration. Castration when the bull
is in rut is unacceptable because the blood supply
to the testicles is doubled during this
period.
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