In the long running campaign to have the NSW government do something about the huge number of feral horses that are causing damage in the Kosciuszko National Park, recent efforts to reduce horse numbers has been welcomed by environmentalists.

Figures announced by the NSW government on 29th January show that 3,530 feral horses have been removed from Kosciuszko since the Plan’s commencement – by re-homing, removal to knackery, aerial and ground shooting, and shooting in yards. However, the Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has announced that she may intervene to ensure a ‘zero-tolerance approach’ to feral horses in the park if the environmental impacts remain too high.

According to a release from the Invasive Species Council:

The warning to the NSW Government is contained in the Albanese Government’s response to the Senate inquiry into the impacts and management of feral horses in the Australian Alps, which has just been released.

Minister Plibersek says that if the current plan to reduce feral horse numbers to 3,000 by 2027 turns out to be ‘insufficient to avoid further irreversible damage’ then the Australian Government would seek a further reduction and would ‘support a zero-tolerance approach, such as that currently employed by the ACT’.

The most recent government survey of feral horse numbers found there are currently about 17,432 feral horses in Kosciuszko National Park.

Minister Plibersek has also committed to ask the Threatened Species Scientific Committee to prioritise the listing of feral horses as a Key Threatening Process under federal environmental law.

“This is an important invention from Minister Plibersek. We have always known that the 3,000 target was just an arbitrary number that reflected a political deal between the Liberal and National parties in NSW,” said Jack Gough, Invasive Species Council Advocacy Director.

“It has nothing to do with science or protecting native species like the corroboree frog. We will still see enormous damage to our alpine waterways and wildlife while thousands of hard-hooved feral horses are left to trash, trample and pollute the area.

“Of course, just getting down to 3,000 will take dedicated and consistent effort. We are very pleased that the Minns Government is so focussed and committed to achieving this current target by 2027, as required by law in NSW.

“Minister Plibersek’s commitment to ask the Threatened Species Scientific Committee to prioritise the listing of feral horses as a Key Threatening Process under federal environmental law is also very welcome.

“In addition to the Australian Alps, we know that feral horses are also trashing and trampling world heritage places like the Blue Mountains and Kakadu. Recognising the environmental threat they pose under federal law is an important step towards greater focus and funding.

“It is disappointing that the Albanese Government has still not committed increased funding to the issue of feral horse management in this national heritage listed landscape.

“Minister Plibersek has only invested $200,000 since coming to office, a stark contrast with the former Morrison Government which committed $1.1 million, or more than 5 times as much.”

“‘No one likes to see animals killed, but the sad reality is that we have a choice to make between urgently reducing the numbers of feral horses or accepting the destruction of sensitive alpine ecosystems and habitats, and the decline and extinction of native animals.

“We may not like it, but culling by highly trained professionals is the only viable way of reducing numbers and saving the national park and our native animals that live there,” said Mr Gough.

HEADER IMAGE: Invasive Species Council. Feral horses in the national park.