Youth Camel Hunting on the Rise in Australia’s Aboriginal Communities

© BntAl3nabi

Forget adrenaline sports — a new initiative to relieve frustrated Aboriginal youths in the interiors of Australia has them hunting and butchering camels.

Substance abuse and alcoholism are rampant among teenagers in remote Aboriginal settlements like Kintore, where there are hardly any (legal) recreational opportunities to speak of. This has worried substance abuse task force experts enough to initiate camel hunting expeditions for these youngsters to channel their energy.

The camels themselves are not native Australian. Brought over from India in the 19th century for load carrying purposes, they have grown in number to become a nuisance. They threaten fragile desert ecosystems, and destroy property.

The hunting expeditions consist of teenagers accompanied by one of Kintore’s three police officers. Once an animal has been shot, it is butchered and the meat is taken back into the settlement to be shared with the community.