Aerial shooting culls thousands of horses in Kosciuszko

More feral horses have been removed from Kosciuszko National Park in the past year, during which aerial shooting was approved, than in the previous 21 years.

In the 11 months to May, 7111 horses were removed from the park after aerial culling by the NSW government was added to other methods in a bid to protect the sensitive alpine environment from the hard-hoofed animals.

Feral horses in Kosciuszko National Park. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

That is more than the 6047 removed between 2002 and July 2023, which includes a big uptick last financial year, when 1196 horses were eliminated as concerns over native flora and fauna grew amid an increase in horse numbers.

The NSW government banned aerial culling of feral horses in Kosciuszko in 2000 before lifting the prohibition in October last year.

Previously, it relied on ground shooting, trapping and rehoming to manage feral horse numbers. But horse numbers were not falling fast enough to meet the objectives of the Wild Horse Heritage Management Plan, established in 2021, which stipulates that the horse population must be reduced to 3000 within the Kosciuszko National Park boundary by the end of June 2027.

A NSW government survey in November last year found there were about 17,432 feral horses in the park, up steeply from an estimated 6000 in 2014.

Brumby advocates argue the government population figures are far too high and their environmental impacts are overstated. Many people also oppose aerial culling on animal welfare grounds.

While other techniques are still being used to reduce horse numbers in the park, aerial shooting by National Parks and Wildlife Service employees has been responsible for culling 5539 horses since late last year.

Government figures also show that since November 2021, 995 feral horses have been rehomed, 672 were sent to a knackery and 1067 were culled by ground shooting.

The federal government’s threatened species scientific committee has advised that horse numbers must be quickly reduced to prevent the extinction of up to 12 native species, including the broad-toothed rat, stocky galaxias fish and corroboree frog, and to halt damage to the fragile ecosystem.

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service deputy secretary Atticus Fleming told a Legislative Council committee hearing on Thursday that his colleagues had been subjected to abuse on social media over aerial culling.

“No one enjoys doing feral animal control really of any kind, but we do this because we are required by law to do it, recognising that horses are having a very severe impact on the environment and the cultural heritage in Kosciuszko,” he said.

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