Barbaric culling of up to 13,000 wild horses will start in Australia this week
The New South Wales (NSW) government is set to resume the aerial shooting of wild horses, known as brumbies, after a survey showed that their numbers have increased in Kosciuszko National Park.
A 2025 survey estimates that there are between 6,476 and up to 16,411 horses in the park, with the most likely number being about 10,309.
Conservation groups support the cull and argue that large numbers of horses damage rivers, wetlands, and native wildlife habitats.
They believe reducing horse numbers is necessary to protect the park's ecosystem.
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However, brumby advocates strongly oppose aerial shooting and argue that more horses should be rehomed instead of being killed.
It comes after a 2024 count estimated the population at between 2,131 and 5,639 horses, ABC reports.
"There's been some population growth," NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said.
"You basically use darts and you're able to control the population through fertility control.
"We're not there yet because the population is too high, but we are doing some feasibility work."
CEO of the Invasive Species Council, Jack Gough, is in support of aerial culling, set to start this week.
"We've seen a big spike in the numbers of feral horses," he said.
"That has big consequences for the wildlife, for the rivers. Big populations of larger herbivores trash, trample and pollute the place."
Gough went on to say he was ‘disappointed’ that retention areas, where horses are allowed to remain in 32 percent of the park, were still in place.
"This is really about some people who do not want to see any horses removed looking to try and frustrate the activities of national parks," he added.
"It's disappointing that the government feels the need to give into that when there's such a strong cross-party consensus for the action that has gone on."
Meanwhile, Gabriela Black, the co-founder of Cooma Mountain Brumby Sanctuary which re-homes horses from the park, is against the cull.
She believes more horses should be rehomed instead of being culled.
"Three weeks ago I went to Kosciuszko National Park and had trouble finding brumbies," she said.
"They should support more re-homers… instead of spending all the taxpayers money shooting from helicopters.
"Brumbies are special. They're heritage and history to Australia and belong in the high country."
Anish Vij