22 August 2024

Aerial shooting of Kosciuszko's wild horses to continue after Supreme Court challenge fails

| Edwina Mason
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wild horses

Efforts to halt the aerial shooting of the wild horses of Kosciuszko National Park were dismissed in the NSW Supreme Court. Photo: Invasive Species Council.

Quick as a flash the Snowy Mountains Bush Users Group’s (SMBUG) legal challenge to the aerial culling of the wild horses of Kosciuszko National Park (KNP) has failed.

In under 30 seconds in the NSW Supreme Court yesterday (21 August) Justice David Davies handed down his judgement dismissing the case brought by the not-for-profit recreational group against NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe.

Underpinning SMBUG’s case was the claim the minister had made jurisdictional errors based on incomplete or misleading information when, in October 2023, she successfully had the Kosciuszko National Park Wild Horse Heritage Management Plan (KNP WWHMP) amended to allow aerial shooting as a means of controlling the park’s wild horse population.

READ ALSO NSW Supreme Court rejects pro-brumby group’s bid to stop aerial shooting of wild horses

The last official National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) survey count in November 2023 calculated between 12,797 and 21,760 horses lived in the national park.

Under the plan, the NSW Government is legally required to reduce that number to 3000 heritage horses in four predetermined retention areas by mid-2027, in a bid to protect and preserve the pristine alpine environment.

At the July hearing of the NSW Senate inquiry into the aerial shooting of brumbies in KNP, the minister confirmed 8944 horses were removed from the park through passive trapping and rehoming or removal to a knackery, and ground shooting between November 2021, when the plan was first implemented, and in July 2024.

Of that total, 5963 of those were culled using aerial shooting, which got underway in earnest in March of this year.

SMBUG lawyers had told the court aerial shooting without preference for other control methods was “unnecessarily or unjustifiably” inflicting pain upon the horses and was an act of animal cruelty.

Following a two-day hearing in July, Justice Davies yesterday found the NSW Environment Minister was provided with adequate information when she authorised aerial shooting in October 2023.

The judge further said the minister followed the correct procedures in making her decision, taking into account factors such as reducing wild horse populations, minimising their environmental impacts and integrating this with the aerial shooting of other invasive species.

The judgement also noted that animal welfare implications were not the only — nor the “paramount” — factor the minister had to consider.

“Other considerations included … the need to minimise the environmental and heritage impact of the horse population, and the need to move quickly to keep the horse population down because of the natural and Indigenous cultural values of [the national park],” Justice Davies’ judgement said.

Justice Davies also noted an animal-welfare assessment had been carried out by the RSPCA, which found laws preventing cruelty to animals had been complied with.

As part of its legal loss, SMBUG is required to pay the government’s legal costs of defending the case.

READ ALSO A horsemanship program with brumbies at its heart

Jack Gough, Advocacy Director of the Invasive Species Council (ISC) said they were pleased the ongoing removal of horses from KNP would continue through the use of aerial shooting.

“This is a comprehensive dismissal of a deeply flawed legal challenge by a small group who don’t want to see a single horse removed from Kosciuszko National Park,” he said.

“The original grounds for the challenge were that there were animal welfare issues or problems with the scientific count of horses.

“The plaintiffs then dropped these grounds when they clearly realised they had no hope of success,” he added. “Instead they focused on a narrow procedural argument which the Supreme Court has thrown out.”

Mr Gough said the ISC had full confidence that national park staff were undertaking these important operations professionally, safely and humanely, as had been confirmed by numerous independent reviews, including by the RSPCA and vets.

Large parts of the park have remained closed throughout autumn and winter this year as aerial shooting operations ramped up after trials in November 2023. The park is expected to reopen to the public on the October long weekend.

A NSW Government recount of the horse population is also expected to take place in late October, according to the minister, this time using aerial transects by helicopter with trained observers and newer mark-recapture distance sampling to analyse some of the data and estimate the population.

The minister has also confirmed the State Government is looking at the use of thermal camera technology as well.

The cost to date to the NSW Government of the wild horse culling operation sits at $8.2 million.

SMBUG and its lawyers were approached for comment, but none was forthcoming.

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Philip Creagh3:58 pm 27 Aug 24

PP – as you would be aware Aerial shooting involves chasing the horses in the helicopter so they are running in a straight line, in single file. The shooter hangs out the side and shoots from quite a close range. I was involved in this form of aerial control in New Zealand with Deer. If I recall the success rate varied depending on the terrain. Rarely were more than half a dozen shot in ‘one run’ and many times we had to go back to finish off. Aerial control worked well for the first few years, but then the deer became more cunning … running for cover as soon as they heard a motor.. I predict that horses will do something similar in time to come.

The reason aerial control was not done in KNP from the get go was the disaster of Guy Fawkes NP in 2000, which led to a ban on aerial culling of horsesnot the protestations of horse advocates. I felt the issue was that a large enough calibre of gun was not used, and single shot killing was tried. This has been partly rectified for KNP.

I have been a critic of the management of KNP over the years, much inefficiency and ‘trial experiments’ of control of both weeds, fire control and feral animal control.

Unlike the media outcry over horses, and only horses, in KNP I believe the bigger problem in the north end will be the pigs replacing horses as a source of degradation. From personal observation over 40 years in the southern end pigs and deer are becoming a huge issue – not reported. Allegedly they are being ‘controlled’, I don’t believe they are doing enough. As I said ‘Nature hates a vacuum’ and it won’t be the corroboree frog or the lesser eared numbat that will replace them. Time will tell. Do you believe the numbers culled as reported by NPWS?

Pig and deer culls have been reported but it is not newsworthy. And it continues. If you take the time to watch the NSW senate inquiry hearings you will hear the numbers of pigs and deer killed and the NPWS has indicated strong support for continued aerial culling of these pests. Pigs and deer have been a huge issue for a long time and have been increasing alongside the horses. There is no correlation. All three species coexist and cause damage. There is no evidence to suggest one will increase more if another is removed.
If your experience is dated you should get up to date. Much has changed and you should not rely on your nostalgic experience. The problems with Guy Fawkes are not being repeated but even then it was one horse and it was found that a small amount of ammunition was faulty. Not the procedure. The ban was a political knee jerk because of some one sided and erroneous reporting. The RPSCA and independent Vets have scrutinised the current procedure and found it to be humane. The government encourages this scrutiny to continue. Get the numbers down to a manageable number and non lethal methods will be more effective but even then there are issues of stress. Much more stress than being chased by a helicopter. With all the scrutiny surrounding this process and the number of people involved I find it hard to believe the number of horses shot or removed from KNP would be fabricated. A conspiracy theorist or a person with an axe to grind would not though.

patricia gardiner6:34 pm 31 Aug 24

I understand there was an inquiry into the Guy Fawkes aerial culling incident where it was found that the ammunition used on the injured horse/s was not that used by the new contractors.
However, it was impossible to obtain evidence to prove those who were suspected were actually involved.

Philip Creagh11:51 am 26 Aug 24

Peter says the ‘horses are killed humanely’. ‘humanely’ is a word that means different things to different people. When I started my degree in Veterinary Science (1967) what was regarded as ‘humane’ was vastly different to today. As part of the course we did ‘practical work’ on different farms and enterprises. One was Homebush abattoirs.

In those days two workers killed lambs in a pen by cutting their throats and the second quickly dragged them onto a chain. It was simple, quick and quite calm. Nowadays that is not regarded as humane, now they have to be stunned beforehand – I suggest the noise and ‘disturbance’ is more stressful – but according to the powers that be ‘more humane’.

However aerial control is the only viable method in 2024. Ground shooting should have been an ongoing control method since KNP was established. Control by shooting, indeed any form of hunting with a gun/rifle, is an anathema to many people. I suspect that in years to come the ‘animal rights’ movement will win this argument in Australia … unfortunately.

The claims that horses have such a huge population, as they are claimed to have, I find very doubtful. Having bush walked and fished KNP since 1967 the northern part – which is not really ‘unique country’ – certainly has an obvious population. They are blamed for all the ills, even though in my opinion feral pigs are a greater problem. They will replace the horses when the horse population is slashed. Nature hates a vacuum.

In the Thredbo valley and Tin Mine deer and pigs are a huge problem, almost insurmountable to control because of the environment.

There are aspects of ground shooting that make it less suitable for culling horses in KNP. Operationally it less efficient but that aside, there is a greater chance an injured horse can escape. Helicopter shooting provides for a closer target and the ability to quickly place multiple rounds into the target area and check the horse has been rendered insensible before moving on. I agree there has been some considerable change in what is thought to be humane and we should always strive to do better but that does not mean we not do anything to control horses. You are right in suggesting horses should have been controlled from the start but the interference of horse advocates has complicated any form of control for a considerable time. That has brought about the adoption of the current plan with the implementation of aerial shooting.
Deer and pigs have been identified as a major threat and have also been aerially culled for many years. The vacuum you suggest will not happen once horse numbers are reduced as pig and deer numbers are not determined by horse numbers and continued control of these pests will reduce numbers further. As far as doubting horse numbers, it is pretty clear from the numbers already removed from the park that there are considerably more horses than suggested by the likes of Rocky Harvey, Claire Galea and Peter Cochran. We will have to wait for the next official count but I will not be surprised if there are more horses needed to be removed. I hope the NPWS concentrate efforts on the exclusion areas where it has been determined NO horses are to remain.

wayne waldock7:30 am 23 Aug 24

well that descision didnt surprise me,the minister,and the judge are in favour of killing animals,where’s the rspca?? why don’t the judge and the minister get off their pick handle and go amongst those poor animals that are left to die in agony.ya reckon one shot one kill, go live in the real world.w waldock

You actually have no evidence horses are not killed humanely. The overwhelming evidence is entirely the opposite. The real world facts are that introduced species are destroying habitat and there is a real chance some small creatures will become extinct but that never seems to bother people who put a domestically abundant animal over and above anything else. The horse is not being blamed for all the damage but it has been identified as a key threatening process and I actually have been out there to see the damage caused. Horses contribute far more per animal to the damage than the others. We should remind people all the other invasive species are being controlled in a similar way with very little objection from people such as yourself. To appease people like you the SOP has provided for multiple shots per horse. Death is very quick but for indigenous animals death (read extinction) takes many years.
This court case identified a greater need to protect the environment over a species introduced by man and abandoned when it was worthless. If the cultural heritage of the pioneers was to be followed, the horses would be run until exhausted and funnelled into a race where they would have their throats cut. From there the skin and hair would be taken for sale. Time for a real world lesson for you.

I don’t think it is fair to say the decision of the judge was made ‘as quick as a flash’. It may have been handed down so but it he took some time to deliberate. It should be noted all of the grounds were dismissed but SMBUG were granted standing and the extension to bring proceedings so it could appeal.

The clear facts are that all other methods have not made any impact on horse numbers and without shooting horses will continue to breed and destroy the sensitive ecosystems found in KNP. The government has acted conservatively with its culling program and used the lower number for these operations. The fanciful numbers created by Claire Galea and Rocky Harvey have been totally debunked simply by the numbers culled. Any numbers created by horse advocates should be treated with speculation based on significant bias.

I suggest we all get over it and move on. 3000 has been determined by legislation to remain in protected areas and that is considerably more than the 2016 management plan. Be happy with that and stop this constant moaning. So much money has been wasted on failed court cases. Let that be the lesson going forward. The government will conduct another count in October and that will determine future operational strategies.

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