To protect native species: Australian authorities announce the shooting of thousands of wild horses

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To protect native species, the number of so-called brumbies in Kosciuszko National Park must be reduced from the current 19,000 to 3,000 by 2027, State Minister for Environmental Protection Penny Sharpe announced on Friday. She defended the controversial measure, saying other methods had not been very successful.

Threat to the ecosystem

It wasn’t an easy decision, Sharpe said. “No one wants to kill wild horses.” But the brumbies threatened “native species and the entire ecosystem” simply because of their sheer numbers. “We have to take action.”

Kosciuszko National Park is one of the largest nature reserves in Australia. Authorities there had already used helicopters to shoot wild horses in 2000, killing more than 600 animals within three days. However, after strong public protests, this method was banned.

The number of brumbies has increased significantly

Since then, park rangers have tried to limit the number of horses using traps, translocations and traditional hunting. With little success, as Minister Sharpe emphasized: in the last two years alone their numbers have increased by a third.

Brumbies are originally domesticated horses that were imported from Europe during the colonization of Australia in the 18th century, but then released by the colonists when they no longer needed them – or simply ran away. Opponents of the shooting say wild horses are now part of Australia’s history.

However, conservationists consider the animals a nuisance because they reproduce far too quickly, damaging the ecosystem and destroying the habitat of rare native animals. According to the environmental group Invasive Species Council, up to 400,000 brumbies live in Australia today.

The non-governmental organization welcomed the decision by New South Wales authorities. According to spokesman Jack Gough, the number of wild horses in the state alone is growing 15 to 18 percent annually.

(AFP)

Source: Blick