Australia Plans to Kill Thousands of Feral Horses, But Scientists Say It's Not Enough to Save the Environment

According to a worried group of experts, a planned strategy to slaughter upwards of 10,000 feral horses while maintaining a reduced population will not prevent continuous harm to a delicate Australian park.

An estimated 14,380 wild horses live in New South Wales' Kosciuszko National Park. Large animals destroy sensitive plants and damage the landscape with their powerful hooves. In addition, the local environment suffers because this is a kangaroo and wallaby country, rather than a horse country.

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Wild Brumbies

Thousands of feral horses, also known as brumbies in Australia, are wreaking havoc on the ecology, endangering stocky galaxias fish, alpine tree frogs, Riek's crayfish, and broad-toothed rodents, among other native species. According to an open letter submitted to NSW environment minister Matt Kean late last month, if nothing is done about the brumbies, their numbers might reach upwards of 20,000 in the park by 2022 if nothing is done.

The petition, written by 15 academics and signed by 69 scientists and scientific groups, claims that a recently amended government plan to kill 10,000 wild horses is insufficient since it would still leave 3,000 horses in one-third of the park. According to the experts, these horses would continue to threaten endangered species and the local environment as a whole. According to the letter sent on behalf of the Australian Academy of Science, Kosciuszko Park "cannot begin to recover from drought, widespread bushfires, and overgrazing if, as currently intended, 3,000 wild horses remain."

The plan, released in September, is a refinement of a similar strategy developed five years ago by NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service. Kosciuszko is one of Australia's largest alpine parks, and the government wants to safeguard it. The majority of the horses will be shot from the ground, but some will be transferred.

Why were they kept in the first place?

According to the plan, the decision to keep so many horses stems from the animals' perceived heritage value, which includes "pioneering history and pastoralism," "traditional mountain practices associated with stock management," "brumby running and horse trapping," as well as "legends, stories, and myths of the Snowy Mountains."

Specific varieties of wild horses, such as the Kiandra greys and the McDonald Silver and Taffy horses, are also considered of heritage importance. According to the proposal, retention zones covering 32 percent of the park "ensure that wild horse historical assets are conserved, as well as other park environmental benefits."

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the government appears to have been swayed by "community groups eager to promote the horses' heritage value." The 2016 draft management plan called for an eventual population of roughly 600 horses, but as the Sydney Morning Herald reported last month, the government appears to have been swayed by "community groups eager to promote the horses' heritage value."

Population Control

The writers of the open letter dispute the necessity to preserve so many wild horses in the park, mainly because conservationists will now have to shoot these animals regularly to keep the population under control.

To preserve native flora, wildlife, and the surrounding ecology from the brumbies, the experts are urging the government to "lower feral horse populations swiftly to considerably below the early objective of 3,000 by utilizing all available and viable means" while still adhering to animal care guidelines. Furthermore, the experts want the whole Kosciuszko National Park, not just a third, to be protected against feral horses. Finally, they want the government to repeal the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act 2018, which is a "legal obstacle to effective evidence-based national park management" and contradicts the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.

This sounds like a no-brainer to anyone, and many support the scientists wholeheartedly. But, unfortunately, so many horses will have to be slaughtered, but Australians must prioritize the natural environment over all the nonsense about cultural history. All of this ostensible legacy will be for naught if Australia's natural heritage is obliterated as a result.

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