Parks Victoria’s brumby call halted
An eleventh-hour court hearing has led to Parks Victoria’s planned wild horse cull due to begin today to be halted, again.
VICTORIA’S brumbies have been given a stay of execution until next month after Parks Victoria indicated it would halt its planned wild horse cull until a court hearing on the matter was resolved.
Former mountain cattleman Phil Maguire submitted an order in the Supreme Court today to have Parks Victoria’s horse-control program declared invalid.
Mr Maguire has sought to quash Parks Victoria’s plan “to reduce the abundance of feral horses in Victoria’s national parks as necessary to protect natural values and meet legislative obligations”.
Earlier this month Justice Michael O’Bryan ruled in favour of Parks Victoria’s controversial culling program in order for the government body to fulfil its obligation to protect the native wildlife, plants and habitat of the Victorian alps.
The trial led to an 18-month halt on Parks Victoria’s annual wild horse control program of from 140 to 200 horses a year since 2008. A Parks Victoria statement said in this time, a comprehensive aerial survey across the Australian Alps – spanning Victoria, NSW and ACT – found a significant increase in the wild horse population, from about 9000 to 24,000 horses.
“Given the current circumstances, Parks Victoria will be commencing an additional technique to control horses,” the statement said.
Mr Maguire has applied to the Supreme Court for an interlocutory injunction preventing Parks Victoria from carrying out its land management plan on the basis it is a breach of the Parks Victoria Act 2018.
At a hearing today in front of Supreme Court Justice Steven Moore, Parks Victoria gave an indication to the court that it would not commence any shooting of horses in the Eastern Alps until June 1.
A Supreme Court hearing to decide whether a final injunction should be granted is listed for May 26.
The last minute ruling has curtailed Parks Victoria’s plan to begin ramped-up control measures today. Small team operations were due to be deployed into high-conservation locations where ground-based professional shooters were to use thermal imaging and noise suppressors to cull free-ranging horses, under strict animal welfare protocols.
Parks Victoria’s regional director Northern Victoria Daniel McLaughlin said effects were needed to protect what remains of Victoria’s native plants, animals and ecosystems following recent bushfires.
“Parks Victoria is authorised by the National Parks Act 1975 to control exotic fauna and to efficiently remove feral horses from high-conservation priority locations. Parks Victoria will also be moving to targeted ground shooting of free-ranging feral horses to control ongoing environmental damage occurring in high conservation value areas in the Victorian alps.”
East Gippsland MP Tim Bull described today’s court hearing as a “great first step”.
“Whilst our brumbies are an introduced species they hold a special place as they carry the blood of the whalers used by our Light Horse and are part of our recent history and heritage (eg the Man from Snowy River). Yes their numbers should be monitored and controlled and we need to do this better, but not this way,” Mr Bull said.
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