Walking into a National Park shouldn’t be a negative experience but for many people venturing into Kosciuszko National Park (KNP), on the Victoria-New South Wales border, the reality is all too confronting and cruel, according to High Country brumby advocate Mandy Fanelli.
The Primary Producer last week detailed dead and suffering brumbies on the Victorian-New South Wales border and the concerns raised by local landowners who have discovered the animals (horrified at brumby killings).
Ms Fanelli is also a concerned landowner and huge supporter of the roles brumbies play in the High Country championing their work in Facebook groups which have more than 35,000 followers.
“Firstly, stopping one’s vehicle in a safe zone along the Snowy Mountain Highway to see some iconic brumbies grazing peacefully (albeit in the kill/cull zone) near Kiandra for instance may well be interrupted by a National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Ranger to inform you to move on as you are venturing into the kill zone; that from one side of the highway to as far as the eye can see and beyond into the national park is a culling zone; where aerial and ground shooting of brumbies has been taking place and will continue until at least October 4, 2024,” Ms Fanelli said.
“Signage for the benefit of the public is ad-hoc and one is told to go onto the NPWS website.
“For the people who advocate for the brumbies in KNP, finding bodies of horses shot inhumanely but with the approval of NPWS and the NSW Environment Minister, Penny Sharpe, defies belief.
“Despite both their knowledge of the apparent cruelty bestowed on the brumbies due to firstly insufficient and inappropriate calibre of weaponry, NPWS have continued their onslaught, peppering horses with up to 15 or more bullets; bullets that are suitable for an animal of 100kg or less. Horses are easily around 350 to 500kg. NPWS however are quite happy with their choices of bullets and guns.”
Mark Banasiak MLC from the Farming, Fishing and Shooters Party has called out on NPWS’ choice of inappropriate weaponry in a report earlier this year to the NSW Commissioner of Police.
“It is virtually impossible for a shooter from a moving platform such as a helicopter to shoot a running wild horse instantly with a head shot or a shot straight to the heart,” Ms Fanelli said.
“Even if a horse has been relentlessly pursued to exhaustion and having been aerially shot, it may be rendered immobile through paralysis of back/spine shots and though it may not move does not mean it has been killed.
“Despite some mares being heavily pregnant and or with foals at foot, NPWS shooters do not discriminate.
“Even though at the recent Parliamentary Inquiry into the ‘Proposed Aerial Culling of brumbies in the Kosziusko National Park’, Atticus Fleming, the Deputy Secretary of NPWS, said the shooters are now shooting the foals first. It is obvious that this is not the case as brumby advocates have recently observed in the kill zone three foals following one horse, most likely a mare. This area was where a shooter was observed just earlier that day in the nearby area.
“Some two days later another lone foal of some six months of age was observed on its own in the kill zone.”
Finding dead horses with mouth, gut, shoulder or flank shots is not unusual according to Ms Fanelli.
She said blood trails often found nearby indicate poorly placed bullets and horrible deaths.
“Photos taken have shown heavily pregnant mares injured and dying from bullets and aborting their foals,” she said.
“Some foals left on their own have been gorged on while still alive by wild animals. Others have starved to death while some are lucky to be found in time by people with horse experience such as the foal found standing next to its deceased mother days ago in Nunniong.
“Some of these inhumane deaths have been purportedly investigated by the RSPCA however obtaining findings can be complicated.
“In the meantime inhumane shootings in KNP continue.”
In response to last week’s article Horrified at brumby killings, Parks Victoria said to protect the safety and welfare of its staff, contractors and community members, operational details of feral horse control are not publicly released.
Parks Victoria does not conduct feral horse or other animal control operations on private property without prior consent of the landholder, and acts in accordance with the Parks Victoria Act 2018. Parks Victoria provided a response to the landholder’s enquiries via email on June 27.
