Kosciuszko feral horse numbers surge explode
A NSW government survey has found feral horse numbers in the national park exploded by at least 4500 in just two years.
The iconic Kosciuszko National Park “has become a horse paddock” with a dramatic 30 per cent explosion of wild horse numbers over the past two years, which can be seen in footage supplied to The Weekly Times.
A NSW government survey found feral horse numbers in the park grew from 14,300 in 2020 to 18,800 in November 2022.
The Invasive Species Council said there was little doubt large numbers of the animals were crossing into Victoria’s high plains.
The council said the growing number and movement of feral horses exponentially increased biosecurity and contamination risks throughout the Alpine region and into the Murray Darling Basin catchment areas and could compromise Victoria’s feral horse cull.
Meanwhile,The Weekly Timesunderstands the Victorian state government will extend its feral horse management program after current tenders expire on June 30.
ISC advocacy manager Jack Gough said he was “shocked” by the number of horses in the Kosciuszko, “tramping and trashing” fragile alpine wetlands and streams and mountain catchment systems.
“We have never seen anything like it, the park has become a horse paddock. These horses have gone from being a rare sighting 20 years ago, to more common five years ago and now they are ubiquitous,” he said.
“They are in huge mobs, sometimes 40 or more, there is horse excrement everywhere, they are transferring weed seeds.
“These alpine areas are not made to cope with thousands of heavy, hard-hoofed feral horses destroying sensitive environments and the headwaters of the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers.
“Animals do not respect state or property borders.”
A section of the Kosciuszko National Park borders Victoria, with photographs showing hoof prints moving from NSW into Victoria.
The corroboree frog and broad-toothed mouse are some of the 11 native animal and 23 native plant species the ISC claims have been threatened at least partly due to feral horses in the area.
Mr Gough has called on the new NSW Labor government to immediately honour an election commitment to reduce feral horse numbers and repeal the Wild Horse Heritage Act.
The 2018 Act, introduced by former NSW Nationals leader and deputy premier John Barilaro, vetoed culling to conserve the cultural value of the brumbies, and has largely been blamed for the explosion in numbers.
Independent Wagga Wagga MP and so-called kingmaker Joe McGirr said pre-election that he would not support a major party that would not repeal “Barilaro’s brumby bill”, a move that would help accelerate action on the current 2021 Kosciuszko management plan that intends to reduce horse numbers to 3000 by 2027.
Only 859 feral horses were removed from Kosciuszko National Park in 2022 under the previous NSW Coalition government’s management plan – below the annual population growth rate of 15 to 20 per cent.
Although Labor had promised to scrap the Heritage Act if elected, new NSW Minister Environment, Climate and Energy Penny Sharpe did not respond to requests for comment.
A spokeswoman for the Victorian government said feral horses had a “significant impact on our state’s biodiversity and Aboriginal cultural heritage”, including in the Alpine National Park.
“As a result, Parks Victoria developed the Protection of the Alpine National Park: Feral Horse Action Plan 2021 to guide the management of feral horses – and we are delivering on that plan,” she said.
Parks Victoria scheduled 500 horses to be removed from the eastern Alpine region in 2022 as part of the plan that includes eventually fully removing horses from Barmah national park and the Bogong high plains.
The vast majority of horses would be culled, with a small number rehomed.
Parks Victoria’s website states damage from wild horses has exacerbated ecosystem degradation following the 2019-20 bushfires and delayed habitat recovery.
A Federal Senate committee is currently examining the impact and management of feral horses in the Australian Alps with a report due by June 9.
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