Three camels belonging to a remote Aboriginal community in the Kimberley have been found dead from gunshot and arrow wounds, leaving elders “devastated”.

Nyikina Mangala elder Harry Watson happened upon the dead camels while taking a group of tourists through Mount Anderson station near Jarlmadangah, 225km east of Broome, on Friday.

One camel, a breeding bull named One Arm, was shot through the chest. Two other camels were found nearby.

Harry Watson’s nephew, Anthony Watson, told Guardian Australia some of the camels had apparently been shot with arrows.

“They used bows and arrows and shoot them through the stomach, it’s not a clean kill,” Watson said. “I hope the police charge those who did it with animal cruelty. It just makes the animals suffer.”

Watson said two men in camouflage gear had allegedly been seen in the area, but left after being confronted by members of the community who were acting as tour guides.

Police from the nearby community of Looma were called and are investigating the incident.

Watson said his uncle was devastated by the loss of the animals.

“It devastated him because he has had them for about 20 years, they’re like pets,” he said. “These were camels that were in the yard. They’re not wild, they never run away, they just stood there and lie down when they approached them.”

The Watsons have about 20 camels which are used for tourist rides in their business, Kimberley Dreamtime Adventure Tours. The business is based at Mount Anderson station, where Harry Watson and his brother John, both Nyikina Mangala elders, were born. The brothers got a grant to buy the 94,000 hectare station in the 1980s. In 1987 they founded the Jarlmadangah Buru community, which now has a permanent population of about 60.

Anthony Watson said it was disheartening to face an attack on the business, which employs a number of community members.

“[Harry] has been doing his camel business for over 15 years and it’s a lot of hard work,” Watson said.

“We’re trying to break into the market and get the name out there. It hurts our business to lose a handful of camels in those circumstances.”

There are about 150,000 feral camels in Western Australia – almost half the total feral camel population in Australia – but they are found in the central desert region, not the Fitzroy Valley.

Watson said it was highly unlikely someone would have assumed the Mount Anderson camels were feral and, even if they did, the animals were shot without permission on Aboriginal-owned land.

“There are risks of crossfire, to have hunting without permission near the community,” he said. “It’s really disappointing.”