Wild brumbies shot dead by illegal hunters in Kosciuszko National Park
THE Snowy Mountains brumbies were saved from a cull and the slaughter yard but now they are under attack from illegal hunters, with a stallion recently shot dead in the Kosciuszko National Park. WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO
NSW
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THE Snowy Mountains brumbies were saved from a cull and the slaughter yard but now they are under attack from illegal hunters.
Over the past few months, locals have been stumbling upon the carcasses of wild horses in the Kosciuszko National Park, including a dead stallion who was shot around a fortnight ago.
The horses were found weeks after a major police operation targeting illegal hunting was launched in the park, with officers seizing five firearms, three bows and other ammunition.
Police found two males who had been carrying firearms and a compound bow.
The same day, police stopped two other males who had shooting from a public road into private property.
The next day, police stopped a man who had been walking along a trail with dogs, firearms and ammunition. The numberplates on his car were covered.
On Monday, police confiscated a further two bows from a man in the park.
Cooma resident Paul McIver said he also found a live round and discarded shells near the dead stallion, which had been located near the Victorian border.
He said students from a Sydney private school had been camping nearby, although there was no suggestion they were involved.
Mr McIver, who gave the ammunition together with photographs and video to police on Thursday, said he believed the horses were being shot by illegal hunters.
“We came across the horses last Saturday — two looked like they were shot several months ago, but the stallion was shot only a week earlier,” he said.
“We also found shot kangaroos and a deer that had been dehorned.
“Everything had been shot from the road. They are just hoons with big guns, gratuitously shooting at anything.”
The photographer said the area of the park where the horses were found was often frequented by school groups, cycling and hiking in the region.
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While the brumbies are not native, the state government this year introduced a “brumby bill” in response to public outrage at plans to drastically reduce horse numbers via a legal cull.
However, the bill offers the horses no legal protection.
It is illegal to carry a firearm or shoot in a national park without authority, with penalties of up to $3300 applying for each animal shot.
A spokesman for Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton said the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service had received a report that horses in the park had been shot.
“NPWS takes reports of illegal hunting in parks very seriously and when confirmed, the details are reported to NSW Police for further investigation and potential prosecution,” he said.
A spokeswoman for Nationals leader John Barilaro said illegal hunting posed a major safety issue to park users.
“If unwarranted unlicensed shooting is taking place in Kosciuszko National Park, it is not only concerning, it is illegal,” she said.
“This is a huge safety issue, with potential danger to hikers and users of the park, and should be treated as a police matter.”
Police have urged anyone with information to contact local police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.