Brumby culling causes public outcry over ‘inhumane’ practice

The culling* of wild brumbies will resume in Kosciuszko National Park this week, despite public outcry over the controversial practice. Animal rights groups have branded the aerial shooting of wild horses as inhumane* while claiming the Snowy Hydro 2.0 scheme* has more of an environmental impact than the horses. So why are these iconic animals being killed off? And how does the practice of culling brumbies compare to the control of other feral animals in Australia?

WHY ARE BRUMBIES BEING CULLED?
The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service said “feral animal control” would take place in the Kosciuszko National Park until June 30, with aerial shooting involved. It said the state government’s wild horse population survey had estimated there to be between 6476 and 16,411 wild horses living in the national park – well above the legally required target of 3000 by mid-2027.

“While there are early signs of ground cover and vegetation recovery in areas where horse numbers have been reduced, numbers remain high, and the damage wild horses cause remains evident across many parts of the park,” a representative said.

Brumbies are wild, or feral, horses. Large numbers of brumbies can cause damage to ecosystems by trampling vegetation, damaging water sources and destroying the habitats of native wildlife, according to the Invasive Species Council.

MOVE TO PROTECT BRUMBIES
But the move to shoot the brumbies from the air has sparked outcry from animal advocates who have petitioned the NSW parliament to stop the action, arguing it is “inhumane, lacks transparency and ignores the cultural and historical significance of brumbies to many Australians”.

A separate change.org petition has attracted more than 220,000 signatures, calling for an end to the culling.

Brumbies have come to hold a special place in the hearts of many Australians after they were immortalised by the likes of Banjo Paterson in his poem Brumby’s Run and Elynne Mitchell in her Silver Brumby novels.

Cooma Mountain Brumby Sanctuary founder Gabriela Black said the move to cull the famous Snowy River brumbies was “completely barbaric*” and said she believed the numbers had been grossly overstated.

“It is so inhumane to shoot these horses from the air, leaving them to die slowly and painfully,” Ms Black said.

“The destruction of the national park is from the Snowy Hydro project, not these beautiful horses.”

The Brumby Strong action group argued the wild horses had become a “scapegoat, while the renewable energy* project Snowy Hydro 2.0 is allowed to build and permanently destroy the environment in the very same area”.

“The reality is you can ride or hike for hours, and sometimes days, without seeing a single brumby,” it posted on social media. “A more realistic and correct number is less than 1000 brumbies.”

However, a NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water spokesman said there was “strong scientific evidence that wild horses damage the park’s fragile alpine and subalpine environment”.

“Continued wild horse control is needed to protect and extend the recovery already underway,” he said.

The spokesman said the “impact of Snowy 2.0 in Kosciuszko National Park will be localised and cover less than 1 per cent of the park”.

While many brumby advocates have pointed out that the Snowy hydro project has involved destruction of the natural landscape, the power plant plays an important part in Australia’s move to renewable energy.

The Australian Public Service Commission website describes Snowy 2.0 as Australia’s “largest committed renewable energy project,” that will be instrumental to the nation’s transition to a low-carbon emissions future thanks to its “on demand energy and large scale renewable energy storage”.

OTHER FERAL ANIMALS
Wild horses are not the only feral animals that get culled from time to time in Australia.

In 2024, more than 400 feral cats were killed by specialist shooters across NSW national parks because of the feline’s ability to kill at least 700 native animals a year.

The Australian Government’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water lists 10 specific feral animals on its website as well as feral animals on offshore islands. Feral deer, goat, horse, pigs, water buffalo, camel and European red fox all pose a problem for native ecosystems and wildlife. Cane toads, European wild rabbits and feral cats are also listed.

Feral animals often compete with native animals for food and shelter. Native animals are also at risk of being hunted by feral animals, like foxes and cats.

The government works with the states and territories to keep the number of feral animals as low as possible using trapping, baiting, fencing and shooting.

Often, larger animals, such as brumbies, wild pigs and goats are shot from helicopters by specialist shooters – a method the government claims to be the most humane because it is quick and doesn’t involve stressing the animals by rounding them up.

Other animals like foxes and rabbits are baited using a poison called 1080, which occurs naturally in native pea bushes in Western Australia, that kangaroos and some other native herbivores are able to eat without being so badly affected.

If there is a risk that other animals might eat the poison, the practice is to bury it, since native animals are less likely to dig it up, or paint it green or black, which prevents birds from eating it.

Rabbits have also been controlled using introduced diseases, such as myxomatosis* and rabbit haemorrhagic disease* (RHD) however these biological control methods have only been partially effective over time.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• culling: reducing wild animal population through selective slaughter
• inhumane: lacking compassion, not caring about the suffering of the animals
• Snowy Hydro 2.0 scheme: an expansion of the Snowy scheme, which is Australia’s largest hydro-electricity scheme, using the water from the rivers and streams of the Snowy Mountains to generate electricity and provide water inland for irrigation
• barbaric: savagely cruel
• renewable energy: energy that doesn’t get depleted
• myxomatosis: a disease that affects rabbits that was introduced to Australia in the 1950s to try and cull feral rabbit populations with limited success
• rabbit haemorrhagic disease: a disease that affects rabbits that was introduced to Australia in 1996 that was initially successful at controlling feral rabbit populations but has become less effective over time

EXTRA READING
Wild horses to be reined in
Are brumbies hiding on Fraser Island?
Fighting extinction with world’s longest cat fence

QUICK QUIZ
1. Why are brumbies being culled from Kosciuszko National Park?
2. What are some other feral animals that sometimes get culled in Australia?
3. Why are animal rights groups against the aerial shooting of brumbies?
4. What does the Snowy Hydro scheme have to do with the controversy surrounding the culling of brumbies?
5. What are some ways feral animals are controlled in Australia other than shooting?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Affected stakeholders
Work with a partner to come up with the key stakeholders in this story that have an interest in the culling of wild brumbies.

Next to each of these stakeholders, write their view on the topic.

Stakeholder                                                  Viewpoint

1. NSW Government

2.

3.

4.

Whose voice is the most powerful & why?

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
Create an action plan for Kosciuszko National Park that takes into account all the current issues it is facing, including;

– Protecting native species

– Brumby population

– Tourism

– Renewable Energy Projects

– Animal welfare

What are some recommendations that suit all parties?

Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
To sum it up
After reading the article, use your comprehension skills to summarise in a maximum of three sentences what the article is about.

Think about:

• What is the main topic or idea?
• What is an important or interesting fact?
• Who was involved (people or places)?

Use your VCOP skills to re-read your summary to make sure it is clear, specific and well punctuated.