Are there any bactrian camels in captivity in Australia?

I never realised there were feral bactrian camels in the wild in Australia, i had only ever believed there to be feral dromedaries.
After reading this BBC article BBC News - Australia, home to the world's largest camel herd , i wondered do any collections in Australia have any bactrians?

 

I would not be so happy for these invasives being wild in the outback. They are certainly detrimental to the arid Aussie ecosystem. Is there a control programme for them now?

 

There are no Bactrian camels in Australia, wild or captive, the species here is the dromedary. Yes they are a pest, yes there are control programs, and yes there are lots in captivity.

 

I read in that BBC article, and in other 'official' camel websites, that there are Bactrians in the wild. I am very curious if there have been any recent sightings.

http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/publications/pubs/camel-factsheet.pdf
"Many different types and breeds of camels were brought into Australia, but most were from India. They included the large, fleece-bearing, two-humped Bactrian camel of China and Mongolia, the elite Bishari and Bikaneri riding camels of Arabia, and the powerful, freight-carrying lowland Indian
camels, capable of moving huge loads of up to 800 kilograms. The feral camels found in Australia are a meld of these breeds."

Here is a good read about what the government is doing in WA to manage camel numbers: Feral camels in WA - Department of Environment and Conservation

 

An interesting claim in the government fact sheet that is new to me. Personally I had never seen any other evidence that Bactrian camels were brought to Australia (minutes of acclimatisation societies, photos of camels etc) and all other references I have read only mention dromedaries. However I did find another source that makes the following claim:

An estimated 10,000 to 12,000 camels, imported into Australia between 1860 and 1907, were used as draft and riding animals by people pioneering the dry interior.

The camels brought into Australia were almost exclusively the one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius) which are found in hot desert areas and are highly suited to the climate in Australia. Only about 20 of the two-humped camels (Camelus bactrianus) normally found in cold deserts were imported into Australia. Camels Australia Export - Central Australia - Northern Territory - Australia

A bit of background reading indicates that the two species can interbreed, and that the resulting progeny is a single humped camel.

So it seems some bactrians did come to Australia, but they probably either interbred with the vastly larger numbers of dromedaries or just died out, leaving the Australian population to a larger or lesser degree a hybrid population of one humped camels.

However there is no population of feral or captive two-humped Bactrian camels existing in Australia today.

 

Adelaide zoo once held bactrian camels, can obtain more info if anyone is interested.

 

That's a fair argument and explanation. Maybe the Bactrian camel is a cryptid. I would love to see bush walker/tourist photos with two humped camels in the wild here.

 

I have never heard of Bactrians being in Australia, and I imagine they wouldn't survive an Australian summer if they remained up north or in the centre.

Interesting info about the prior imports though.



Hix

 

Interestingly the map for Alma Park Zoo shows bactrian camel but I guess that is more a case of sloppy design work. There is also a big horn sheep which I guess was considered a good enough substitiute for tahr.

Zoo Map & Amenities | Alma Park Zoo Brisbane | Official Site