The National Parks and Wildlife Service has a legal obligation to implement the Kosciuszko National Park Wild Horse Heritage Management Plan.
- The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is required by law to reduce the number of horses in Kosciuszko National Park from over 14,000 to 3,000 horses.
- To meet this legal requirement, NPWS must undertake a range of control measures, including trapping and rehoming and ground shooting.
- The RSPCA has investigated the 11 dead horses reported in the media this week and confirmed there is no evidence of any breach of animal welfare legislation. These horses were culled (ground shooting) by NPWS in meeting its legal obligations under the plan.
- All control measures, including ground shooting, are undertaken in accordance with the highest animal welfare standards with strict requirements developed in consultation with a range of experts.
- The implementation of wild horse control is a sensitive and challenging issue for everyone and will be carried out to the highest possible standards by NPWS, working in consultation with relevant experts.
- A range of stringent measures are in place to ensure public safety when wild horse control operations are undertaken.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has a legal obligation to implement the Kosciuszko National Park Wild Horse Heritage Management Plan.
This plan requires, by law, that NPWS reduce the number of wild horses in Kosciuszko National Park from over 14,000 horses (2020 estimate) to 3,000 horses by June 2027.
In order to meet the legal requirements in the plan, NPWS must undertake a range of control measures including trapping and rehoming and ground shooting.
All control measures undertaken by NPWS are in accordance with the highest possible animal welfare standards, with strict requirements developed in consultation with a range of experts.
Passive trapping and rehoming is prioritised, where practicable and consistent with the highest welfare outcomes. Aerial shooting is not permitted.
In relation to the 11 dead horses that have been the subject of media reports this week:
- The 11 horses were culled (ground shooting) in accordance with the highest animal welfare standards as part of NPWS meeting its legal obligations under the Wild Horse Heritage Management Plan.
- RSPCA NSW has independently responded to animal cruelty complaints received. Their investigation found no evidence of a breach under the NSW Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act 1979.
A number of statements have been made in the media that are incorrect. For example, the horses did not bleed to death and they were not shot in the gut.
The implementation of wild horse control is a sensitive and challenging issue for everyone and will be carried out to the highest possible standards by NPWS.
Stringent measures are in place to ensure public safety during control operations under the Wild Horse Heritage Management Plan. For example – formal safety risk analyses are undertaken; there is active reconnaissance of areas before control measures commence; and there are strict controls on where and when operations can occur.
- A review of safety measures relating to the control of deer and other feral animals will be extended to consider the safety measures which apply to ground shooting operations under the Wild Horse Heritage Management Plan. This review is expected to be complete by 4 October. Control measures under the Wild Horse Heritage Management Plan will not include ground shooting while this review is conducted and considered.
The Wild Horse Heritage Management Plan, including the requirement to reduce the population to 3,000 horses, was agreed after more than 2 years of engagement with the community. This included advice from a dedicated Community Advisory Panel, a Scientific Advisory Panel, the RSPCA (NSW) and other experts and Aboriginal stakeholders.
There is clear scientific consensus that the number of wild horses in Kosciuszko National Park is too high and that any failure to reduce the population will result in significant, long-term damage to a globally important national park.
An annual survey of the wild horse population, consistent with world's best practice and subject to scientific peer-review, will be conducted annually. The next survey will be carried out in the last quarter of 2022.
NPWS is also undertaking extensive control of feral pigs, goats, deer, foxes and wild dogs in Kosciuszko National Park.
