NSW government considers shooting wild brumbies to save native species
The state government will debate whether to allow aerial shooting of wild horses in Kosciuszko National Park, in order to protect over 30 native species ‘at risk of extinction’.
The NSW government is debating whether to allow aerial shooting of wild horses in Kosciuszko National Park, in order to protect over 30 native species “at risk of extinction”.
Environment and Heritage Minister Penny Sharpe said that the decision comes amid an ‘urgent need’ to save Kosciusko’s unique sub-alpine environment from destructive wild horse populations.
Recent reports have identified that Kosciuszko National Park’s fragile ecosystems are under threat from the invasive species as they destroy native plants, reduce water quality and increase soil erosion.
The appeal for public feedback poses a choice between the protection of Australian species and what is considered by NSW Environment & Heritage as a “pest animal”.
According to recent counts, there are up to 23,000 wild horses in the region despite a legal requirement to reduce this number to 3,000 by 2027 as part of the Wild Horse Management Plan.
While the government has struggled to control numbers, an increasing number of native species face critical levels of endangerment as wild horses damage key habitats and food sources.
Among the species affected include the endangered pygmy possum, southern and northern corroboree frogs, Guthega and she-oak skink, Kelton’s leek orchard, broad-toothed rat, blue-tongued greenhood, and the fish stocky galaxias – a species that is only found in the park’s waterways.
Wild horses, also known as “brumbies’ and “feral horses”, have a distinctive stature in Australian folklore despite the serious environmental threat they pose.
Banjo Paterson’s The Man from Snowy River and Brumby’s Run have contributed to a staunch culture of support for the species, with plans to cull the population down to 32 per cent of its current size in order to protect their “heritage value”.
The proposal to amend the Kosciuszko National Park Wild Horse Heritage Wild Horse Management Plan and allow aerial shooting has faced pushback, however this would only be an extension of current ground shooting practises.
Under current regulations that initially saw aerial shooting ruled out from the management plan, the government has attempted to control the issue through “trap yards” where brumbies are caught and either culled or rehomed.
Ms Sharpe emphasised that the need for “highly trained aerial shooters” was because these practices had proven ineffective in the last two years, with NSW “not on track to meet the wild horse target population.”
The NSW government has stated that aerial shooting would be “consistent with the highest animal welfare procedures”. however the Animal Justice Party has argued that these practices “impose horrific suffering” for animals that may not be killed, but rather injured in the process.
Ms Sharpe acknowledged the debate around the controversial decision but insisted that “there are simply too many wild horses for the park to cope”.
“Without action, wild horses could tip threatened species to extinction,” she said.
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