Skip to content
Guest Thinkers —

Camel Hostages

Residents of an Australian community have been overrun by an invasion of thousands of camels – and many people are scared to leave their homes.
Sign up for Big Think on Substack
The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.

More than 6,000 marauding, thirsty camels are holding residents of a small central Australian community hostage. The Northern Territory Government said today that it would begin an emergency cull of the animals after the Docker River, about 500 kilometres south west of Alice Springs, became overrun by thousands of the creatures. “As well as the camels smashing water infrastructure in their hunt for moisture, the quality of drinking water in the town is being threatened by the decaying bodies of camels that have been trampled by their herd. The camels have over-run the airport, making it near impossible for aircraft to land or for medical emergency evacuations to take place. MacDonnell Shire Council chief executive officer, Graham Taylor said many members of the community were too frightened to leave their homes.”

Sign up for Big Think on Substack
The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.
Related
A bearded man wearing glasses and a plaid shirt speaks with a microphone clipped to his collar in front of a purple background with white dots.
The Well
How Rainn Wilson discovered sacredness
The hospital where Rainn Wilson’s wife and son nearly died became his own personal holy site. There, he discovered that the sacred can exist in places we least expect it. During his talk at A Night of Awe and Wonder, he explained how the awe we feel in moments of courage and love is moral beauty — and following it might be the start of our spiritual revolution.
▸
13 min
—
with
Rainn Wilson
Up Next