Kosciuszko National Park
In 2018, the NSW Government abandoned a science-based feral horse management plan that had been developed after extensive consultation, instead enacting the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act. The Act prioritises the protection of large numbers of horses over the protection of threatened native species.
An investigation by the Invasive Species Council revealed in January 2019 that the feral horse trapping program had come to a complete standstill. Our investigation found that no feral horses had been removed from the southern half of Kosciuszko National Park since April 2016, or the northern half since August 2017. Horse populations had been allowed to expand and grow, rising by an average of 18% a year.
In 2020 there were an estimated 14,000 feral horses in Kosciuszko. After trapping recommenced, 99 horses were removed in 2019/20 and 787 in 2020/21 — a mere 5% of the estimated population. This trapping program was extremely costly and inhumane – most horses were trucked long distances, with the majority ending up in slaughterhouses. It was also ineffective and fell well short of stabilising the population, let alone reducing it.
Effective control of feral horses in protected areas, like other feral animals, means equipping park managers with as many control options as possible to reduce feral animal numbers. An integrated culling program, using both aerial and ground shooting, has been assessed to be one of the most effective, humane solutions for removing large numbers of horses, provided it is undertaken under strict animal welfare protocols with close involvement of the RSPCA.
That is why we have pushed so hard for an effective, humane, adaptive approach to feral horse management.
Without an effective control program, the feral horse population in Kosciuszko National Park will continue to grow, meaning more feral horses will need to be culled in the future as environmental damage escalates.
Early, effective control reduces the number of horses removed in the long-run and avoids animal suffering and starvation from over-population. Without an effective control program, more native animals will suffer as horses destroy their habitats.
Add your voice now and help us take 50,000 signatures to Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek calling for the Australian government to protect Kosciuszko National Park from feral horses today