Disturbing footage has emerged of injured brumbies as the state government’s controversial program of shooting feral horses in and around Kosciuszko National Park continues.
Before,
On April 4 a national park will close for annual culling of brumbies amid ongoing protests on the number of feral horses to be killed.
The closure of Kosciuszko National Park (KNP) comes into effect two months ahead of the regular closure on June 10 and is part of a state management plan aimed at reducing brumby numbers below 3,000 by 2027.
More than 400 protesters met on Sunday March 30, both on foot and on horseback, to oppose the NSW park’s closure and aerial shooting of brumbies, which will continue until October 4.
Animal welfare concerns
Veterinarian Lynne Bodell from Wagga attended the rally at KNP and believes aerial shooting of wild horses is an inhumane practice.
“It’s inhumane because you can not get an accurate shot of a galloping horse from a moving helicopter,” she said.
“Some of these horses are going to escape into the rugged terrain and have a horrible death.”
Wild horses are a threat to native plants and animals as they cause degradation to the environment.
Numbers questioned by activists
The WHHMP requires feral horse numbers to be reduced to 3,000 by June 2027, retaining horses in 32 per cent of the park on the basis of their historical and heritage value.
The NSW Government estimates there are between 12,797 – 21,790 wild horses in the Snowy Mountains, according to a study peer-reviewed by CSIRO and the Queensland Department of Agriculture.
Brumby activists have challenged this number suggesting it could be as low as 10 per cent of government estimates.