Sydney wildfire: 10,000 camels to be massacred for drinking too much water

Sydney: More than 10,000 camels will be shot by professional firearms experts from helicopters to prevent them from drinking too much water in drought-afflicted South Australia.

The shooters will begin the cull on Wednesday following an order from Aboriginal leaders in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands.

Locals have complained that the animals have been entering communities and wreaking havoc as they look for any available water source, including taps and tanks.

"We have been stuck in stinking hot and uncomfortable conditions, feeling unwell, because the camels are coming in and knocking down fences, getting in around the houses and trying to get to water through air-conditioners,'' Marita Baker, a board member of the APY executive, told The Australian.

The animals are also being culled over concerns about greenhouse gas emissions, as they emit methane equivalent to one ton of carbon dioxide per year, the paper reported.

A spokesperson for the South Australia Department of Environment and Water said the increasing number of camels had caused several problems in the region.

"This has resulted in significant damage to infrastructure, danger to families and communities, increased grazing pressure across the APY lands and critical animal welfare issues as some camels die of thirst or trample each other to access water," the spokesperson told news.com.au.

"In some cases, dead animals have contaminated important water sources and cultural sites."

The operation to control the camel population, estimated to total 1.2 million across the country, is expected to take five days. Their carcasses will be left to dry off before they are burned or buried, ABC News reported.

Meanwhile, a heartwarming footage in which two Australian teenagers drove around fire-ravaged places to rescue koalas has earned them praise.

The clip shared on Reddit by a user with the handle Steve_OH showed a car in which the wild animals were ferried out of the fire-ravaged Kangaroo Island, which is known as Australia's answer to the Galapagos Islands, as it has rich wildlife.

Micah, 19, and Caleb, 18, are said to have saved at least 20 koalas during their rescue operation.

The Irwin family-run hospital announced the news of rescuing and treating over 90,000 animals during their run, ABC reported.

The Australia Zoo's Wildlife Hospital was opened by Steve Irwin and Terri Irwin in 2004.

Following the death of Steve in 2006, after being injured by a stingray, his wife Terri, daughter Bindi and son Robert have kept the institution going.

Bindi shared the milestone on Instagram and wrote how the hospital was "busier than ever".