This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Millions of large feral animals roam Australia. Pigs, camels, deer, horses, water buffalo, cattle and goats were introduced deliberately as transport, livestock or to hunt.
Many have since established wild populations. Governments spend millions every year trying to keep feral animal numbers down because these animals can have strong effects on ecosystems by eating plants and trampling. In recent decades, populations of these largely herbivorous feral species have grown.
Dozens of native species have gone extinct since colonization and many others are in decline. In response, conservationists have rightly focused on reducing threats to surviving species to stave off further extinctions. Feral animals are thought to contribute to the problem, alongside fragmented habitats, climate change and the end of most First Nations' fire regimes.
But there's a paradox here. Some feral animals are abundant in Australia—but threatened, endangered or extinct in the wild in their original regions. For these species, Australia is acting as a last refuge.
Wild herds of dromedaries (one-humped camels) haven't roamed the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East for about 2,000 years. The species is now considered extinct in the wild. It survived as a domesticated animal—until Australia imported camels as pack animals for the dry interior.
In the early 20th century, many were left to fend for themselves. Large wild herds of dromedaries once again roam, but this time in Australia's arid rangelands and deserts. Other large endangered herbivores roaming Australia include banteng, water buffalo, horses, donkeys and three species of deer.
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