Tag: feral horse

Is Capture and Rehoming a Solution?

Posted by on in Spring 2026Leave a comment

By Paddy Paterson 

Introduction 

One thing that seems to be absent from recent discussions of horse population management is any knowledge of how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ rehoming is as a solution to numbers of wild horses.   Wild horse herds double in size every 4-5 years, so obviously the offtake/harvest rate needs to match that to keep the numbers steady.  To reduce numbers, even more need to be removed. 

How useful is capture/rehoming in managing numbers?  I will restrict my comments to National Parks and similar.  As each jurisdiction manages and reports differently, this short article will be only semi-quantitative. 

Read More “Is Capture and Rehoming a Solution?”

The environment wins the brumby wars

Posted by on in Spring 2026Leave a comment

By Greg Buckman 

This article was originally published by the National Parks Association ACT in its June 2026 Bulletin (volume 63, number 2). 

Love them or loathe them but brumbies, particularly brumbies in national parks, evoke strong emotions. Supporters see them as beautiful animals infused with the spirit of The Man from Snowy River (based on Banjo Patterson’s 1890 poem) and the World War One Light Horse Brigades. Opponents see them as destroyers of pristine waterways, delicate soil and small mammal habitats. One thing all sides might agree on though is that there are a lot of them in Australia: over 400,000, the largest feral horse population in the world. Of these up to about 25,000 have inhabited the Australian Alps National Parks (three-quarters of them in Kosciuszko). 

Read More “The environment wins the brumby wars”

National Parks Association welcomes rethink on feral horse control in Kosciuszko National Park 

Posted by on in Media ReleasesLeave a comment

The National Parks Association of NSW (NPA) welcomes the NSW Environment Minister’s announcement of a review of feral horse control techniques for Kosciuszko National Park. 

“It’s long past time that the National Parks and Wildlife Service were permitted to use aerial culling, the most effective technique for removing large vertebrate pests from environmentally sensitive landscapes” stated NPA President Dr Grahame Douglas.   

Read More “National Parks Association welcomes rethink on feral horse control in Kosciuszko National Park “

Film Review: Where the Water Starts

Posted by on in Winter 2022Leave a comment

Luisa Bertoggi and Helen Wilson, Illawarra Branch

Illawarra Branch hosted the premiere theatrical screening of this important documentary about Australia’s high country. It gives a First Nations perspective on the Alps as ‘where the water starts’ and features Richard Swain, Indigenous ambassador for the Invasive Species Council. The enthusiastic audience asked Richard, Alison and the filmmakers a lot of questions and agreed the film needs to be seen by all Australians. Caring for the high country is crucial for addressing climate change and for managing our river systems. It’s no place for feral horses.

Read More “Film Review: Where the Water Starts”