Right: A protest hike undertaken by bushwalkers, protesting against the presence of feral horses along the Alpine Walking Track.
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Arguments supporting the substantial reduction of brumby numbers in alpine national parks
1. Brumbies in the high country are damaging the terrain
Conservationists and politicians who support the total removal of brumbies from the Victorian and New South Wales high country argue that these animals are completely unsuited to these areas and do unsustainable damage. Others argue similarly that the enormous environmental harm the animals cause mean their numbers must be dramatically reduced and they must be kept out of particularly sensitive areas.
New South Wales Nature Conservation Council chief executive, Chris Gambian, has stated, 'Horses in Kosciuszko National Park have been doing untold damage to iconic landscapes for decades.'
The same point has been made by New South Wales Environment Minister, Matt Kean, who has stated, 'We know that Kosciusko is an ecological wonderland, and these hard-hoofed animals have done untold damage because they've been out of control.' Calla Wahlquist, writing for The Guardian, has noted, 'The ordinary impacts horses have on pasture - cutting narrow tracks through grass, selective grazing, hoofprints on the soft dirt of a riverbank - amount to severe damage in a critically endangered alpine landscape which did not evolve to cope with hoofed beasts.'
Australia's alpine plants and animals did not evolve with heavy, hard-hoofed animals and many rely on habitats that are now being severely damaged by horses. A New South Wales scientific report concluded, 'habitat damage in streams, wetlands and adjacent riparian systems occurs through selective grazing, trampling, track creation, pugging (soil compaction), wallowing, dust bathing leading to stream bank slumping and destruction, stream course disturbance and incision and sphagnum bog and wetland destruction.'
Environmental journalist, Anthony Sharwood, has detailed some of the damage caused by brumbies. He has written, 'The sphagnum moss of the Australian high country is a miracle of nature. It stores water like a giant sponge, releasing it slowly so that alpine creeks flow swift and clear in the driest summer. Sphagnum bogs are also the favoured nesting sites of the critically endangered corroboree frog. Brumbies trample this delicate ecosystem to worthless mud-heaps. It's like the Great Barrier Reef's coral is being devoured by an imported European fish, and everyone's cheering for the fish.'
Sharwood has also stressed that the high country ecosystem is under threat from a range of other sources, making it particularly vulnerable to the damage caused by brumbies. He writes, 'This landscape is unique, beautiful and fragile. We think of mountains as these big, hulking things impervious to damage, but that's not true. The snowgums are under attack by a native beetle. The big fires are coming more often (a fact which makes a mockery of the brumby advocates' pseudo-scientific claims that "grazing prevents blazing"). And then there are the imperilled swamps and bogs.'
Professor Jamie Pittock, an ecologist from the Australian National University, further detailed the brumbies' capacity to exacerbate environmental damage in New South Wales alpine national parks. He has noted that the northern part of Long Plain has seen an influx of horses since the 2019-20 bushfires. They have cut paths through the sphagnum bogs by walking in to get water, causing the bogs to dry out and become vulnerable to bushfire. They have grazed on the new green shoots of snowgrass, disrupting the regrowth required for several endangered lizards and the broad-toothed rat who use its tussocks for shelter.
Key conservation groups argue that the numbers intended to be removed under the New South Wales cull is not sufficient to protect the environment. The Australian Academy of Science argues that the number of horses should be rapidly reduced below 3,000. In an open letter with 69 signatories including scientists and institutions sent to the New South Wales environment minister, they note that 'alpine wetlands continue to degrade even with very small numbers of feral horses. Kosciusko cannot begin to recover from drought, extensive bushfires and overgrazing if, as currently proposed, 3,000 feral horses remain.'
2. Brumbies in the high country are endangering native animal species
Repeated studies have found that brumbies in Australia's alpine national parks cause serious damage to many native species.
It has been claimed that brumbies provide competition with native animals which is displacing and starving wombats, wallabies, and other species. It is further claimed that habitat destruction could impact listed threatened species including the critically endangered Northern corroboree frog, the critically endangered Southern corroboree frog, the endangered Guthega skink, the endangered Alpine she-oak skink, the endangered Alpine spiny crayfish, the endangered Mountain pygmy possum, and the vulnerable Broad-toothed rat.
The conservation lobby group Reclaim Kosci has noted that other introduced species that threaten native species in the way in which brumbies do are already being actively removed. The group states, 'Introduced pigs, deer, goats, rabbits and foxes also threaten Kosciuszko's natural values and are controlled by park managers through trapping, baiting, and aerial and ground shooting. Feral horses are just as much a threat and should be managed just like other harmful feral animals.'
Reclaim Kosci has reported on the status of several threatened species being negatively impacted by brumbies. They have noted the plight of the broad-toothed mouse. They only exist in alpine and sub-alpine regions of southeastern Australia. They have a ringed tail and a gentle demeanor when handled. Their distribution is highly fragmented due to clearing for roads, ski runs and building developments. These mammals rely on high rainfall, cool summers, cold winters, and a dense ground cover of grasses, sedges, and shrubs. They live in a complex of runways through dense wet grass, sedge, or heath habitat, usually within 15m of a water-course. Feral horses occupying their small and specific habitat have the potential to out-compete the broad-toothed mouse for food (native grasses) and trample remaining nesting areas. Broad-toothed mouse habitat is being impacted from browsing and trampling associated with the expansion of feral horse populations. The presence of feral horses is directly related to the decline of broad-toothed mouse populations. In 2016, in broad-toothed mouse habitat sites severely impacted by feral horse impacts, no evidence of this species was found at all.
They have also highlighted the situation of the mountain pygmy-possum, a small, ground-dwelling possum, living in boulder-fields and adjacent heathland in sub-alpine and alpine areas above 1200m. The possums hibernate during winter then wake in spring to feed on Bogong moths that also occupy the boulders. Boulder fields with deep streams running through them are their preferred habitat. Heathland provides shelter from predators and additional food in insects, nectar, fruits, and seeds. The total population is tiny and at risk, estimated at around 3050 adults only. Several threats have caused this species to be listed as critically endangered including feral horses as they muddy streams and trample heathland resulting in loss of food and water sources, shelter from predators, and subsequently threaten the lives of the mountain pygmy-possum.
Another native species being negatively affected by feral horses is the Northern corroboree frog. The frog has a highly restricted distribution in alpine and subalpine regions of New South Wales and the adjacent Australian Capital Territory. Populations of this striking frog species have declined significantly, predominantly due to the amphibian disease chytridiomycosis. Adults breed in bogs during January to mid-March, building nests in the dense vegetation and litter that surrounds small pools. This habitat is integral for courtship and juvenile frog survival. In 2018 it was found that feral horse trampling significantly impacts the quality of breeding sites for the Northern corroboree frog by reducing the depth of litter and vegetation in bogs. Damaged habitat exposes eggs and renders them prone to desiccation and death. Horse damage also reduces nesting habitat.
3. Brumby numbers are out of control and delaying action will result in more horses having to be killed
Supporters of removing brumbies from the high country in New South Wales and Victoria argue that the longer this move is delayed, the more horses will have to be killed.
When Kosciuszko land managers first identified the need to control the increasing brumby herds back in the late 1990s, their numbers were estimated at 2000.
By 2016, their number had grown to 6,000 and the initial New South Wales draft wild horse management plan in 2016 was proposing the horse population be reduced to 600. Critics claim that the result of that plan having been put on hold for a further five years is that the number of wild horses has grown dramatically, and more animals will now have to be culled. As of 2021, the brumby population in the New South Wales high country is estimated to have increased to more than 14,000, an extra 8,000 on the 2016 figure. Mr Swain a river guide and Indigenous ambassador with the New South Wales Invasive Species Council, has stated that more horses will inevitably be shot under the new plan because of the increased numbers. He has further warned that there is not enough demand from landholders to rehome 11,000 of these animals.
The longer the delay, he claims, the larger the number of animals that will have to be slaughtered.According to a 2019 survey, the number of horses has grown from an estimated 9,187 in 2014, to 25,318 in 2019. That amounts to a growth rate of 23 per cent per annum, despite ongoing drought conditions.
The Australian Alps Liaison Committee survey revealed an extraordinary boom in horse numbers in the north-eastern corner of Kosciuszko, which takes in the Tantangara Reservoir, sitting north of Adaminaby and bordering Namadgi National Park to the north-east. Between 2014 and 2019, numbers in that area lifted from an estimated 3,255 to 15,687 - a growth rate that could see horse numbers double nearly every two years.
Andrew Cox, chief executive of the Invasive Species Council, said that if feral horse numbers continued to increase at the current rate, horses would become the most-sighted animal in the Kosciusko National Park.
Cox has argued that the exponential growth meant that authorities would have to remove thousands of horses a year just to keep the population stable. He said all humane and effective forms of population control - including aerial culling, which had previously been ruled out by the New South Wales government - should be considered.
Cox has further claimed, 'You can't just take a few hundred horses out, there needs to be a serious control program put in place. Failure to do so will have negative animal welfare impacts on the brumbies themselves. They are already being hit by cars.'
Cox concluded, 'The horses will overflow the park and spill into surrounding private lands if we don't do something to control their numbers. They have no natural predators; they have no diseases. They will starve themselves out.'
4. Many false claims have been made about the historical, environmental and tourist value of brumbies in Australia's alpine national parks
Opponents of retaining brumbies in Australia's alpine national parks claim they have no unique cultural or historical value. They note that contrary to the claims made by some of their supporters, the Kosciuszko's horses are not descendants of horses used in World War 1. (These horses were not returned to Australia.) The Kosciuszko population, it is argued, has descended from horses that escaped from local farms or were deliberately released. It is also claimed there is no clear evidence that horses were even taken from the Kosciuszko population for the war effort. Such horses came from many places in Australia.
The lobby group Reclaim Kosci argues, 'The feral horses found in the park are just like any other horse. Australia has more than 300,000 feral horses and there are no genetic traits to distinguish the Kosciuszko horses from them or domestic horses. Throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s, wild horses in New South Wales were regarded as a nuisance and a pest and were regularly killed to control numbers. The horses of Kosciuszko that had been in low numbers for about 150 years have little more heritage value than the foxes, pigs, rabbits, and other invasive animals in the national park. What heritage value they do have can be preserved outside the park.'
It is further argued that the horses are not the tourist attraction that their supporters claim they are.
It has also been argued that the claims made that brumbies help to reduce the risk of bushfires in alpine areas are inaccurate. Their critics note that horses do not feed on the shrubs and unpalatable tussocky grasses that carry fire in extreme conditions, such as occurred in the catastrophic fires of 1939 and 2003. There is, however, some evidence that grazing by feral horses and cattle can increase the intensity of bushfires by removing ground cover, resulting in denser scrub. It has also been noted that the damage caused by severe fires is intensified after the fires due to the erosion and degradation caused by horses.
Finally, those opposed to feral horses in alpine areas claim that they do not act as the tourist attraction that their supporters argue they are. Several studies have shown that the main activities of visitors to Kosciuszko are snow sports, walking, car touring, sightseeing and nature appreciation. Though many visitors have reported that they like seeing horses in the distance, they are also disturbed by the environmental damage and general pollution that the horses cause. Tourists have noted with concern the degraded and dung-fouled picnic and camping areas, and the polluted and damaged streams and wetlands caused by the horses. Some visitors have claimed to find the horses intimidating.
Reclaim Kosci's Facebook page contains many comments from tourists complaining about the negative effect of feral horses on Australia's alpine areas as an attraction. Included among these are: 'I would like to express my disgust that this was the scene that greeted me after staying at your resort recently. A pest defecating outside my luxury bedroom window. I came to see and appreciate natural Australian scenes. Where were all the kangaroos and native Australian animals?' 'Tourist attraction? They must be joking. I could easily go to any paddock if I wanted to see equines.' 'The amount of horse poo along Long Plain Road and further into the forest along Broken Cart Trail... is truly astonishing. Sure does put a reality check on the natural environment experience. My vehicle was literally plastered in the stuff'
. In January 2021, Frontier Economics produced a report for the Invasive Species Council titled 'Reining in feral horses in Kosciusko National Park.' The report includes the following observations on the impact of horses on tourism: 'Richard Swain of Alpine Adventures ... has observed significant and worsening damage to ecosystems within the park. He highlights the prevalence of horses within the park. On one 5-day trip he estimates he saw around 300 feral horses within the park and very few native animals. He considers horses are responsible for the reduction in native animal sightings because they are consuming significant areas of pasture in the meadows which is leading fewer kangaroo, wallabies, and emu sightings. In addition, he considers horses are damaging waterways and riverbanks, meaning he is now observing very few platypuses. Richard notes that "international tourists don't come to see a horse. They come to see what is unique to this country and are increasingly disappointed by lack of native wildlife sightings".
As a river guide Richard has observed a constantly degrading river environment, in the areas where he operates his tours. He suggests there are very few undamaged phragmites or reed beds along riverbank. On trips in the past, he used to teach tourists how to make string out of young Kurrajong tree saplings, but he can now no longer do this as it is impossible to find a
young Kurrajong tree that has not been eaten up to horse height with all fresh shoots and
saplings gone.'
5. Control measures can be used that will allow brumby numbers to be reduced as humanely as possible
Supporters of plans to dramatically cull or completely remove brumbies from the New South Wales and Victorian high country regions argue that these actions will be conducted as humanely as possible. They claim that horses will be rehomed where they can be and killed efficiently and humanely where this is the only other option. Aerial culling will either not be used or will be employed only where there is no other option.
The New South Wales Government has stated that the removal of wild horses will be carried out in accordance with best practice animal welfare requirements. Aerial culling has been decided against because it has been judged too difficult to control and too stressful for the animals. Control methods will include ground shooting, shooting in trap yards, and transporting horses to abattoirs.
It has been noted that some horses will have to be humanely culled because rehoming is not a solution for the number of horses that need to be removed both to protect native species and the horses themselves. Australian Brumby Alliance president Jill Pickering has stated that rehoming organisations cannot take on more than a few hundred a year.
Pickering has claimed that the combined supply of horses from Kosciuszko, the Victorian Alps, and Barmah national park - where the Victorian government plans to reduce horse numbers in Barmah from 550 to 110 by 2023 through a combination of culling and rehoming - has created a glut, and there are not many trainers with the necessary experience working with brumbies. Pickering opposes culling and argues for measures such as dart-administered contraceptives to reduce brumbies' reproduction rates; however, those supporting culling use her data regarding rehoming to present culling as a necessary part of the solution.The 2018 Victorian plan noted that a decade of efforts removing up to 200 horses annually from the park had been insufficient and their population numbers had not reduced. The plan stated, 'The impacts of feral horses in the Alpine National Park and other contiguous areas have now reached critical levels, and without intervention horses will continue to cause long-term and severe degradation of wetlands and waterways and prevent the recovery of these areas.' The government's proposal was to trap the horses in yards using baits such as lucerne to draw them in.
It would work with organisations, such as horse associations, to re-home them. Horses that it could not re-home, or that were too old or ill to re-home, were be shot in the yards.
Parks Victoria's Feral Horse Action Plan 2021 states 'Parks Victoria will continue to work closely with our partners in the humane control of feral horses to reduce their impacts: including removing small, isolated populations and preventing spread into new areas using the most humane, safe and effective techniques, including lethal and non-lethal methods. The preferred methods of managing feral horses include trapping and rehoming, tightly managed shooting, and construction of small-scale exclusion fences.'
Both New South Wales and Victoria state that culling will only be used when strictly necessary and that all horse management strategies will apply humane practices.