Camels will be studied in central Australia to determine whether the animals' flatulence is contributing to global warming, the Northern Territory News reported Tuesday.
The study will monitor the levels of greenhouse gas emissions produced by the animals.
It will also try to determine if dead camels emit even more pollution as they are decomposing.
The Northern Territory Government has given Charles Darwin University AU$10,000 ($9,671) to engage Aborigines to monitor camels' impact and carbon emission.
The Northern Institute's camel researcher Dr. Benxiang Zeng said the project would also monitor the impact camels had on vegetation and the degeneration of landscapes.
"I believe it is the first time to link feral camels to climate change," Dr. Zeng said.
Australian governments have budgeted to spend more than AU$19 million to cull more than a million feral camels in central Australia, but several interest groups have proposed creating an industry out of the problem by harvesting the animals for food and other industries.
It has been estimated that wild camels cause about $7.15 million in damage to pastoral properties each year, particularly in damage to fence lines.
Read more: NTNews.com
