Australia wants to have thousands of wild horses shot

In order to protect native species, the number of so-called brumbies in Kosciuszko National Park should be reduced from the current 19,000 to 3,000 by 2027, the state’s Environmental Protection Minister, Penny Sharpe, announced on Friday. She defended the controversial measure by saying that other methods had not been very successful. It wasn’t an easy decision, Sharpe said. “Nobody wants to kill wild horses.” But the brumbies threatened “native species and the entire ecosystem” simply because of their sheer numbers. “We have to take action”.

Kosciuszko National Park is one of Australia’s largest nature reserves. The authorities there had already used helicopters to shoot down wild horses in 2000 and killed more than 600 animals within three days. However, after strong public protests, this method was banned.

Since then, park rangers have tried to limit the number of horses using traps, relocations and traditional hunting. With little success, as Minister Sharpe emphasized: in the last two years alone, their number has increased by a third.

Imported from Europe

Brumbies are originally domesticated horses that were imported from Europe during the colonization of Australia in the 18th century, but were then released by the settlers when they no longer needed them – or simply ran away. According to opponents of the shooting, wild horses are now part of Australia’s history.

However, conservationists see the animals as a nuisance because they reproduce far too quickly, damage the ecosystem and destroy the habitat of rare native animals. According to the environmental movement Invasive Species Council, up to 400,000 brumbies live in Australia today.

The non-governmental organization welcomed the decision by the New South Wales authorities. According to spokesman Jack Gough, the number of wild horses in the state alone is growing by 15 to 18 percent annually.

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