5,000 Horses Culled at Kosciuszko National Park

Over 5,000 feral horses have been culled in Kosciuszko National Park since the resumption of aerial shooting, according to recent data from the New South Wales (NSW) government. Environment Minister Penny Sharpe cited the numbers as clear evidence of the urgent need to address the supposed “threat” these horses posed.

The data reveals that since aerial shooting recommenced late last year, 5,539 horses have been killed. Additionally, 427 horses were removed through other methods such as trapping, rehoming, and ground shooting. This brings the total number of horses killed since October to 5,966. The most recent population surveys estimated around 17,000 horses in the park.

Sharpe, attempting to emphasize the necessity of these measures, said “The numbers speak for themselves. There have been simply too many wild horses in Kosciuszko National Park. The NSW government is delivering on its commitment to protect and restore our environment, and I am sure we will soon see the benefits for our native plants and animals as well as our precious alpine ecosystem.”

The NSW government aims to reduce the feral horse population in the park to 3,000 by 2027, a target mandated by state law. Since November 2021, a total of 8,505 horses have been removed, with the majority of this reduction occurring in the past seven months due to the aerial shooting program.

Conservationists welcomed the progress, noting for the first time, the number of horses removed is expected to exceed the annual population growth. Jack Gough, advocacy director of the Invasive Species Council, pointed out that more horses have been culled in the past 11 months than in the previous 21 years combined. Despite the necessary culling, Gough acknowledged the difficulty of the decision. “No one likes to see animals killed, but the sad reality is a choice had to be made between urgently reducing the numbers of feral horses or accepting the destruction of sensitive alpine rivers and the decline and extinction of native animals,” he stated.

The culling efforts have also been endorsed by the Nature Conservation Council of NSW. Its chief executive, Jacqui Mumford, highlighted the potential for ecosystem recovery, noting that feral horses have pushed numerous threatened species, including the iconic corroboree frog and rare alpine orchids, to the brink of extinction.

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