CASA is calling on pilots who fly in the outback to help battle Australia's increasingly problematic feral camel population.
CASA says pilots can play a key role in managing Australia’s feral camel population through a newly developed official website, aptly named CamelScan, where details of camel sightings can be loaded into a database.
CASA is asking pilots who operate in outback areas where camels are common to note down any camel sightings during flights and later enter the information into the database. Authorities will then use this information to produce up-to-date regional and national information on feral camel populations and to assist in efforts to manage the animals.
“There are more than one million camels spread across in excess of three million square kilometres of Australia – mainly remote and outback areas,” CASA explains. “The damage bill caused by feral camels is more than $10 million a year.
“Camels pose a significant hazard for aircraft operating in outback and remote areas as they enter airstrips and cause damage to surfaces. Any aircraft hitting a camel is put at high risk and the presence of camels can delay essential flights such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Pilots are in a unique position to provide essential data to the CamelScan website.”
The CamelScan website, which is said to be easy to use, allows pilots to report how many camels were sighted, the location by longitude and latitude and the date of the observation. The website has been developed by the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre, the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Ninti One, the organisation that manages the Federal Government-funded Australian Feral Camel Management project.
We’re sure this isn’t the kind of thing you had in mind when you decided to learn to fly, but if you’d like to lend a hand click here to visit the CamelScan website and find out how you can report sightings. CAPTION: The presence of wildlife around outback airstrips can delay essential flights such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
(Hans Boessem)
The presence of wildlife around outback airstrips can delay essential flights such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
