| Cite: Unknown | Enacted: Unknown | Repealed: Unknown |
| Source: Dumblaws.com | ||
Discussion:
The fact that camels exist in Arizona may be a surprise to some. And to hunt them seems unplausable since they tend to be used by humans as a labor animal, not as food. The reason the camels were there was due to a failed military project between 1856-1857, which was to help build and supply a wagon route from Texas to California. The project disbanded in 1857 due to the civil war, and the camels were no longer needed.
The California and Utah Camel Association bought the camels from the army and sold them in Nevada where they were used as labor animals for mining camps. Many of the camels also were used in Arizona for mining operations there, but were soon released as they frightened other pack animals. Teamsters were known to shoot the camels on sight because they often scared the horses or mules.
Some camels managed to escape from their owners, and camels did occupy Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, California, Navada, and Utah. However, most if not all, have died out since then.
Arizona officially declared camels extinct in Arizona in 1913, though the animals were reported by others as late as the 1950s.
There is no current regulation against killing camels in Arizona state law. However, the law may have existed at one time, to prevent the loss of property incurred by killing and escaped camel.
Attributes, Sources, External Pro/Con-Links
- Arizona Law Resource: http://www.azleg.state.az.us/ArizonaRevisedStatutes.asp
- Snopes Reference: http://www.snopes.com/legal/arizona.htm
- "Camel Corps Remembered": http://www.outwestnewspaper.com/camels.html
- "When Arizona Was Young": http://www.yumasun.com/artman/publish/articles/story_7685.shmtl