People across the country have been outraged by the ongoing aerial and ground shooting of brumbies in Australia’s national parks. Killing these animals from helicopters is not only profoundly inhumane, but it also fails as a long-term management strategy.
Brumbies have held deep cultural and historic significance since horses arrived on the First Fleet, yet current policies treat them as disposable pests. Repeated culls are a cruel, short-sighted fix that causes immense suffering while doing little to manage populations sustainably. Aerial shooting is inaccurate, with many horses wounded and left to suffer painful and protracted deaths. Wounded mares may leave dependent foals who then starve to death. Just like humans, horses love and nurture their foals.
Far more ethical and effective approaches exist. Rather than relying on lethal measures, management efforts should prioritise non-lethal solutions such as fertility control through immunocontraceptive vaccines (such as PZP or GnRH) to limit population growth, passive trapping and rehoming of horses to private properties and sanctuaries, and targeted fencing which can protect high-value fragile ecosystems.
We need to adopt a balanced, science-based approach that respects both our native ecosystems and our animal welfare standards. Humane, sustainable management is entirely achievable if the political will exists to pursue it. Let’s change this supremacist attitude that is destroying the environment and divesting it of all interconnectedness; it’s time to live and let live.
Dr Desmond Bellamy, PETA Australia
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