The Lost Camel Hotel — Hotel in Yulara

During our stay near The Lost Camel Hotel, we found a baby rabbit in the smoking area clearly suffering. It was unable to move and convulsing for over an hour. We contacted local wildlife services but were told no help would be sent – “it’s just a rabbit.”

By chance, we encountered a nearby police unit and, not knowing what else to do, asked for advice. They confirmed the animal had likely been poisoned with 1080 bait – a substance known to cause a slow, painful death in many animals.

As the rabbit continued to suffer with no chance of recovery, we asked the officers to end its life humanely to stop the pain. It did not die on its own – it was euthanised out of compassion.

We later learned that 1080 poison is used extensively across Australia – not just on rabbits, but also on foxes, wild dogs, feral cats, and sometimes even native animals or pets. The suffering is often unseen but widespread.

This experience raised serious questions: • Is 1080 poison used on or near resort grounds? • Are guests informed that wildlife may be dying nearby? • Is it acceptable for animals to visibly suffer on resort property with no help offered? • How does this reflect responsible tourism values? • Most importantly: Who is harmed by a rabbit in the desert? Why is such suffering necessary?

We’re not writing to blame anyone, but because we believe this deserves reflection. Even the smallest lives matter. And guests deserve to know the truth.

Photo taken just before the animal was put to rest.

⸻

Dear Voyages Team,

Your response is disappointing, not just for its lack of substance, but for the attitude it conveys. None of my questions were answered. Instead of engaging with my concerns, you deflected by pointing to legal frameworks as if they absolve you of responsibility.

Yes, the use of 1080 is legal in Australia, but legality does not equal moral justification. It does not excuse ethical complacency. A company like yours – in one of the most iconic and ecologically sensitive locations – should meet a higher standard. Yet, you’ve chosen not to.

Citing government policy is convenient but evasive. No one is forcing you to be part of a system causing widespread suffering to animals. You could take a stand. You could demand transparency. You could speak out. Instead, you avoid taking a position, showing what ethical leadership is not: silence when accountability is needed.

The fact that you avoided addressing even basic questions – about the incident on your property, your role, and your ethical stance – speaks volumes. It suggests a deliberate unwillingness to confront the uncomfortable reality of your operations.

By refusing to act, you become part of the problem. Your inaction allows this suffering to remain hidden and normalized. But it should not be accepted – not by your guests, and certainly not by you.

When an animal dies slowly and visibly on your resort grounds with no help, it’s not an isolated incident. It reflects a broader mindset – one we cannot ignore.

You have influence. Choosing not to use it is a decision. It is your choice.

⸻

Thank you for your response. I’m glad to hear that, according to your statement, 1080 poison is not used on the resort grounds. However, this still raises the question of how an animal was found suffering from clear poisoning symptoms directly on hotel premises.

Your original reply, placing full responsibility on the government, has since been deleted. For transparency, I’ve attached a screenshot of that response.

Unfortunately, Pindone – which you mention as an alternative – is also known to cause slow and painful deaths over several days. It’s hard to understand how such methods align with values of environmental responsibility or animal welfare.

I sincerely hope Voyages will not only respond to incidents like this but actively seek compassionate, long-term solutions and ensure guests are honestly informed about wildlife...

On balance I wouldn't recommend. The arrangement of our room was such that the shower was separated from the room by a frosted glass door, as is the toilet, and the wash basin is inside the room. This is problematic because putting the light on in the toilet or shower lights up the whole room and using the basin requires light in the bedroom. There's no window, just light via the shower and toilet's frosted glazing so it feels a bit like a bunker. There's no draft excluder on the door, which opens straight onto the outside so both light and cold enter the room unnecessarily. There was a heating system but it was very loud so we didn't use it overnight and since the key needs to be in the room for power, you couldn't heat the room until you got into it. The lighting in the room is strange and doesn't include an overhead light. One of the thresholds in the room was loose and could have been a trip hazard. There was a grotty shower curtain for no apparent reason and generally it all feels like it needs upgrading and hence it's overpriced for what it is. Our biggest problem though was that the basin tap was dripping and the drain was blocked. I alerted reception to this almost as soon as I arrived and they sent someone to look at it but actually they just closed the tap extremely tightly such that it was really difficult for us to then open. Later the same day I told them that the problem hadn't been solved and even how I thought they should fix it and they sent someone who again did the same thing. We survived 3 nights by putting towels in the sink to lessen the noise and tightening it as much as possible overnight but by the time we left it was unbearable. I did point out in the mid stay feedback that this wasn't acceptable and that they really should have moved us to another room or compensated us but nothing was done or offered other than an empty apology. Maybe they will read this now and offer some compensation. The fact that reception is only open 8am-5pm is annoying as not everything can be done over the phone so you have to go over to the neighbouring hotel. Lastly the room wasn't clean - they hadn't vacuumed the edges of the carpet for a long time and there was a fairly obvious piece of chewing gum on the light behind the bed. We didn't have an awful time and if you have to stay somewhere in the resort and want to keep costs down this probably is the best option as it's located very centrally but overall I think it would be better to see the rock bypassing the resort on a camping tour or something, as without transport you're stuck with the expensive, hop on/off bus timings and availability. The resort is overpriced and even the gourmet restaurants are nothing special. Nice that there's a swimming pool but too cold to use in winter. Staff were all friendly, although one of them told us that the airport pickup was from the neighbouring hotel, which wasn't correct so that would have been annoying if I hadn't...

Little choice at Ayers Rock! And way overpriced! ||The accommodation is quite basic and is best described more like a holiday camp. The rooms are straight on to an alleyway thoroughfare. Light & noise travelling under doors. On first entering the rooms were well presented and adequate for a short stay. The sink is set within the room with the shower & toilet being separate. Its an odd layout with the only natural light coming from the toilet and the shower windows. You are requested to ensure you close the shower curtain when showering as everyone can see you otherwise…same applies in the loo! The showers are dated with dirty grouting & white dirty shower curtains. The toilet was stained dirty too. No excuse. Overall a major upgrade is needed or at least some brighter shower curtain. The bed was comfortable with crisp cotton sheeting aiding a good nights rest. Air-conditioning in room was good. There was no complimentary water but there is basic tea & instant coffee; if you are a coffee drinker you’ll be disappointed with their basic offerings. The rooms could easily be elevated with some aboriginal art in the rooms or at least a brighter shower curtain! ||Breakfast is taken at the ‘Sails in the Desert’ venue…this was very good with a good selection of quality offerings. We’d definitely recommend this. ||The restaurant in the town square was okay but basic. There’s also a sandwich/snack bar cafe….lots of choice in there from pies to salads to eat in or takeaway.. ||Be aware that there are very few places to eat after 9pm across the whole site. ||There’s a small pool to use at TLC; however, the aboriginal children run feral across the site and would often jump in fully clothed. These children also run in and out of the town square restaurant/toilets and corridors. It can be very noisy and it seems like management turn a blind eye to this disruption. ||There’s obviously social problems that need addressing as the town centre looked dreadful at night/early morn with beach towels strewn across lawned areas where they sell their art work. ||We took the Sounds of Silence tour and really enjoyed the experience. We also did the morning segway tour…..again way overpriced but if you do want to do it i’d suggest the full peripheral tour as the other was only a brief ride. The knee pads & hats etc were grubby but they do spray them with a disinfectant they said. ||Overall this was a comfortable stay to see Uluru & Kata Tjuta but way over-priced amaccommodations and tours for...