Feral horses in the Australian Alps pose a significant threat to native species, and a parliamentary inquiry has recommended allowing them to be shot from the air in order to address this issue. The region has long suffered from the impact of feral horses, and the inquiry highlights the urgent need to reduce the current population of 25,000 horses in the area. Kosciuszko National Park alone is estimated to be home to 19,000 feral horses. However, the New South Wales (NSW) government prohibits aerial culling, unlike Victoria and the ACT where feral horses have already been eradicated.
The inquiry emphasizes that changes must be made in NSW, including the addition of aerial shooting as a method of controlling feral horse populations. The current protection provided to these horses by the NSW government has led to an exponential increase in their numbers, while limiting the management capabilities of the NSW Parks and Wildlife Service. It is clear that if feral horse populations are not urgently managed, the unique landscape and native species of the region are at risk of being lost. The inquiry makes 14 recommendations, including greater federal leadership, increased funding for control efforts, a national threat abatement plan, and an urgent assessment of threatened species.
Federal environment laws should also recognize habitat degradation, competition, and disease transmission by feral horses as significant threats. The Invasive Species Council acknowledges that the public opinion has shifted, aligning with the scientific evidence regarding the damage caused by feral horses in the high country. Richard Swain, a Snowy River tour guide and Indigenous ambassador for the council, is relieved that there may finally be some action in NSW. He highlights the desecration of the springs where the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers originate due to the impact of feral horses.
The federal government has set a target of preventing new extinctions and has identified the Australian Alps as one of the priority places under its Threatened Species Action Plan. The NSW government has committed to initiating public consultation on allowing aerial shooting to achieve a population reduction of horses in Kosciuszko to 3,000 by mid-2027. However, last year’s estimate suggests that the park currently harbors 19,000 horses. While the state’s Environment Minister, Penny Sharpe, welcomes the findings of the inquiry, no further details on the inquiry’s recommendations have been provided.