About 3,000 camels imported from Australia have been herded out of Libya‘s capital, Tripoli, in an overnight evacuation after the port where they arrived came under artillery fire.

The camels left Tripoli’s port shortly after midnight on Wednesday and were walked west along a highway to the city of Zawiya, some 30 miles away, where they arrived on Thursday morning, according to a local merchant.

However, he said that a local armed group had stolen 125 of the camels as they passed through the Tripoli suburb of Janzour.

A Reuters reporter saw about 20 camel herders whipping the animals into line as they left central Tripoli, with some animals trying to search for food along the side of the road. Security forces temporarily closed the road to let them pass.

The merchant said a fellow businessman from Zawiya bought the camels after hearing they were being sold off cheaply in Australia, where, according to media reports, thousands of camels that had begun searching for scarce water in residential areas were culled.

Protests against Turkey sending forces to Libya Show all 12 1 /12 Protests against Turkey sending forces to Libya Protests against Turkey sending forces to Libya A woman brandishing a rifle takes part in a demonstration held by Libyans and Syrians in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi to protest against Turkey's prospective military intervention AFP via Getty Protests against Turkey sending forces to Libya Libyan protesters gather during a demonstration against the Turkish parliamentÃ•s decision to send Turkish forces to Libya, in Benghazi, Libya January 3, 2020. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori ESAM OMRAN AL-FETORI Reuters Protests against Turkey sending forces to Libya Libyans and Syrians take part in a demonstration held by Libyans and Syrians in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi to protest against Turkey's prospective military intervention in support of the UN-recognised Tripoli-based government, on January 3, 2020. (Photo by Abdullah DOMA / AFP) (Photo by ABDULLAH DOMA/AFP via Getty Images) ABDULLAH DOMA AFP via Getty Protests against Turkey sending forces to Libya Libyans wave a Turkish and a national flag during a rally in support of the UN-recognised Tripoli-based government (GNA), in the capital Tripoli on January 3, 2020. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images) - AFP via Getty Protests against Turkey sending forces to Libya Turkish members of parliament vote to send Turkish troops to Libya. They passed a bill approving a military deployment to Libya aimed at shoring up the UN-backed government in Tripoli, at a time of intensifying international tensions over the conflict. The beleaguered Tripoli government has been under sustained attack since April by military strongman General Khalifa Haftar, who is backed by Turkey's regional rivals - Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates AFP via Getty Protests against Turkey sending forces to Libya Libyan protesters shout slogans during a demonstration against the Turkish parliamentÃ•s decision to send Turkish forces to Libya, in Benghazi, Libya January 3, 2020. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori ESAM OMRAN AL-FETORI Reuters Protests against Turkey sending forces to Libya Libyan protesters shout slogans during a demonstration against the Turkish parliamentÃ•s decision to send Turkish forces to Libya, in Benghazi, Libya January 3, 2020. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori ESAM OMRAN AL-FETORI Reuters Protests against Turkey sending forces to Libya Women carry pictures of killed soldiers as they take part in a demonstration held by Libyans and Syrians in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi to protest against Turkey's prospective military intervention in support of the UN-recognised Tripoli-based government, on January 3, 2020. (Photo by Abdullah DOMA / AFP) (Photo by ABDULLAH DOMA/AFP via Getty Images) ABDULLAH DOMA AFP via Getty Protests against Turkey sending forces to Libya People raise a picture of Syrian President Basha al-Assad as they take part in a demonstration held by Libyans and Syrians in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi to protest against Turkey's prospective military intervention in support of the UN-recognised Tripoli-based government, on January 3, 2020. (Photo by Abdullah DOMA / AFP) (Photo by ABDULLAH DOMA/AFP via Getty Images) ABDULLAH DOMA AFP via Getty Protests against Turkey sending forces to Libya People raise Syrian national flags as they take part in a demonstration held by Libyans and Syrians in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi to protest against Turkey's prospective military intervention in support of the UN-recognised Tripoli-based government, on January 3, 2020. (Photo by Abdullah DOMA / AFP) (Photo by ABDULLAH DOMA/AFP via Getty Images) ABDULLAH DOMA AFP via Getty Protests against Turkey sending forces to Libya Libyans burn a picture of strongman Khalifa Haftar during a rally in support of the UN-recognised Tripoli-based government (GNA), in the capital Tripoli on January 3, 2020. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images) - AFP via Getty Protests against Turkey sending forces to Libya Libyan protesters gather during a demonstration against the Turkish parliament's decision to send Turkish forces to Libya, in Benghazi, Libya January 3, 2020. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY ESAM OMRAN AL-FETORI Reuters

Camels are often imported to Libya from Sudan, along with goats, and camel meat is widely eaten.

Tripoli’s port, which is close to the city centre, was shelled on Tuesday by forces loyal to east Libya-based commander Khalifa Haftar, who has been waging an offensive to take the capital for more than 10 months.

He has been battling forces aligned with the internationally recognised government, which is based in Tripoli.

The city has seen several rounds of fighting since Libya’s former ruler Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in a Nato-backed uprising in 2011.

The conflict has caused a sharp decline in living standards in the oil-rich nation, including power cuts and fuel shortages.

The camels would normally have been driven to Zawiya in trucks, but none were available, so the owner decided to make them walk for fear that the port would come under renewed fire.

As the camels were being herded along the road, some onlookers made fun of the government, saying it was bringing in camels as a substitute form of transport because of the lack of petrol.