Tamarisk-loving camels enlisted to battle an invasive species

Tamarisk is one hard-to-kill invasive plant. Since it was first introduced from Eurasia to the United States in the 1800's, it has spread through the West like wildfire. Actually, faster than wildfire. Efforts to eradicate it by burning it, cutting it, or dowsing it in herbicides have all failed. But tamarisk does have at least one formidable foe which some officials are now proposing could be a solution: hungry camels. Usually known for their stubborn personalities, humpy postures and ability to survive for weeks without water, camels and dromedaries also have a keen appetite for salty bush-- and tamarisk is as salty as they come. That's why local ranchers in Colorado have begun enlisting the inglorious beasts to eat their way to eradicating this invasive species once and for all, according to High Country News. "They will eat all day if given the opportunity," says Maggie Repp, a camel rancher in Loma, Colorado. "My camels have killed every tamarisk on our place, so why not give it a whirl?" A drooling dromedary may not have been who you first imagined as your next landscaper, but they do a darn good job. Repp reckons that 10 camels could destroy half an acre of tamarisk in just 2 days. That's not necessarily a solution for clearing the pesky shrub from the whole expanse of the Great Plains, but it's the perfect remedy for removing the odd tamarisk patch off your pasture...read more