Steve Irwin, move aside — the internet has crowned a WA man Australia’s newest Wildlife Warrior after a viral interview.
Luke ‘Camel’ Campbell may have first gained recognition as a star wrangler at Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park in Broome, but a new viral video has introduced the West Aussie’s incredible tales and larrikin attitude to thousands around the world.
Perth comedian and content creator Jasky Singh, better known as “Mr Sikkant”, shared an interview with the Kimberley man on Saturday which quickly blew up across social media — racking up more than 721,000 views in less than 48 hours.
In the viral clip, the camel wrangler of three decades reveals how he first entered the wild world of Australian animals — with the answer leaving many viewers speechless.
“It was a dare, mate — I saw the job advertised in Fremantle on Centrelink under ‘miscellaneous’,” the Broome camel wrangler said.
“I asked the bloke in the camel farm, ‘You got a job mate? I do camels’ and he said ‘You got a swag?’
“I said yep, and next thing we’re out bush for four months catching wild camels in the desert.”
Mr Campbell said he has travelled more than 20,000km on foot since beginning his career, much of it trekking across the Tanami Desert in Australia’s north.
The road to becoming a camel king was far from easy for the Victorian-born man, with decades working with the animals leaving him with broken bones and scars galore.
“I’ve had a couple of fractured necks, I’ve still got three broken fingers, I’ve got a snapped cheekbone, a compressed eye socket,” he said.
“I didn’t even know I had the fractured neck for about a week until someone saw me walking strange in town, so I was sent to Perth.
“When you’re out bush, you can’t just call time out and come to town — you just gotta throw a Besser block on your toe to balance out the pain and keep moving.”
Camera IconLuke Campbell pictured in the red dirt with two of his camels. Credit: Luke Campbell/Luke Campbell
Despite his long list of camel wounds, Mr Campbell said his worst injury came from a different critter altogether.
After decades working with camels in the State’s north, a chance encounter with legendary crocodile hunter Malcolm Douglas would see Mr Campbell learn the art of croc wrangling.
Douglas was a beloved conservation figure known for his wildlife films and the self-named crocodile park in Broome, which opened to the WA public in 1983.
“I like things with big teeth and bad attitude,” Mr Campbell joked about his first encounter with Douglas and crocodiles in a second video with Singh.
He said his transition from camels to crocs came as a complete shock, after the park’s then crocodile wrangler unexpectedly left.
“I remember thinking ‘when I grow up, I want to be like you, mate’ — so it was a wild crash course with old Malcolm, it was definitely sink or swim with the old crocodiles,” he said.
“He took me in a pen, it’s in one of the big lakes full of crocodiles and I remember four crocodiles came at me.
“There was Malcolm, he had one crocodile egg in his hand and a stick and I just thought ‘I’m out of here mate, I’m over the fence’.
“But the fence I climbed had a big jump and a croc right behind it so I couldn’t (finish) … Malcolm’s yelling out ‘No!’ and as he yelled out he crushed the egg and the yolk went up in the air.
“Ol’ Mac turned around with his stick and he just gave hell to those four crocodiles and they all took off … I was just so inspired when I saw that.”
The experience changed Mr Campbell’s life, with the WA man going on to work at the Broome park and run crocodile experiences.
Camera IconMalcolm Douglas and Luke ‘Camel’ Campbell pictured after meeting in the Great Sandy Desert, which Campbell was crossing with three camels. Credit: @thekimberley/Instagram
“It’s funny, when you’re looking face to face with a crocodile, everything else disappears,” he said.
“It’s not like you’re working with a human, an animal like a camel, you’re face to face dealing with a real dinosaur and there’s such a focus in that moment.
“It’s actually, they’re a very calm animal but the minute they switch, that’s when you’ve got to be on your game mate.”
One crocodile’s switch-up almost cost the WA wrangler his life, with Mr Campbell recounting the horrific injury one of the reptiles inflicted on him.
“I had a tiny little mesh cage being used as a hand shield while doing egg collection and this big male’s come up, grabbed the cage, and landed on top of me,” he said.
“The teeth are exploded, I end up with croc teeth in my eyeball. Eventually, I got out of the situation alive, was taken to the hospital, and I am the only one in history to have croc teeth in their eyeballs.”
Camera IconMr Campbell revealed in the video the moment he ended up with croc teeth in his eyeballs. Pictured: The entrance to the Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park, where Campbell worked. Credit: Sam Jeremic/Sam Jeremic
The wrangler’s wild tales from decades in the Outback immediately resonated with viewers, who flooded the viral video’s comments with praise for the skilled West Aussie.
“Steve Irwin would be proud of this one,” one Aussie said.
“This dude deserves his own movie,” another said.
“Call him the Camel-odile Dundee!” a third commenter quipped.
Another thrilled viewer said he had “more great stories than most people would have in two lifetimes”, while another declared him “the most Aussie bloke ever”.
But while thousands of viewers were captivated by Mr Campbell’s wild tales, he stressed most Australians only had a fantasy view of what wildlife wrangling really entailed.
“The biggest thing about it is that a lot of people only see the fantasy side of it, like imagining walking off into the sunset on your animal — but the rest of it is hell,” he said.
“It’s flies, it’s hard work — I mean, you’re walking when we come across the Tanami desert, we’re in drought for 10 years, so we’re walking up to 75km a day.
“We’re leaving at midnight and going through until you had enough shade on a termite mound while you just sit there, and then of course get covered in ants, and that was your paradise for the day.”
Despite the tough conditions, there is nowhere else Mr Campbell would rather spend his working years.
“It’s just so fulfilling, you don’t need to add any extras into your life. The work’s so full and so pure, like I read a lot of old history books, mate, they lived it hard in the Outback and you know what, they were happy.”
Mr Campbell continues to showcase his animal skills at Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park, where he runs afternoon crocodile feeding tours, as well as near Cable Beach where he offers camel rides.
The Kimberley worker has also set up a YouTube channel where he shares his experiences working with camels and crocodiles.