Local Australian authorities on Friday approved the resumption of the slaughter of wild horses in one of the country’s largest national parks, a move seen as necessary to protect fauna and flora but which could also spark controversy.
Around 19,000 wild horses, called “brumbies” in Australia, live in the Kosciuszko National Park in the southeast of the country. New South Wales state authorities want to reduce this number to 3,000 by mid-2027.
Park officials already kill wild horses on the ground with guns or traps or move them to another location. But according to New South Wales Environment Minister Penny Sharpe, these measures are no longer enough.
“Native species are at risk of extinction and the entire ecosystem is threatened,” due to the excessive number of wild horses, the minister said. “We have to take action.”
Brumbies are considered pests by authorities because they increase soil erosion and kill vegetation by grazing or trampling them. They also cause burrows to collapse, compete with other animals for food and shelter, and make water sources unsanitary.
“It wasn’t an easy decision, no one would want to kill wild horses,” Ms Sharpe said.
The method of helicopter slaughter was briefly used as early as 2000. More than 600 wild horses were killed within three days.
But in the face of public outrage, local authorities backed down.
Opponents of the cull claim horses are part of Australia’s national identity.
Brumbies were celebrated by legendary bush poet Banjo Paterson (1864-1941), known for his romantic glorification of rural Australia. A rugby union team from the Australian capital Canberra is also called the “Brumbies”.
There are up to 400,000 wild horses in Australia, according to the Invasive Species Council, an Australian NGO that welcomed the New South Wales state decision on Friday.
The number of brumbies in this Australian state is currently increasing by 15 to 18% per year, much more than the number of horses eradicated by current eradication methods, noted Jack Gough, a spokesman for this NGO.