Indigenous custodians divided over the fate of wild horses in Kosciuszko National Park

Opinions are divided amongst Ngarigo custodians, whose traditional lands occupy Kosciuszko National Park, about a proposal to manage wild horses in the NSW high country. University of Sydney Professor and Ngarigo woman Jakelin Troy wants zero horses in the park, but as a horse lover herself she can appreciate why the issue has caused so much debate. The most recent survey found there were more than 14,000 brumbies in the park, But some don’t agree, believing the numbers to be much lower after the Black Summer bushfires. “They’re only plucking numbers out of mid-air,” says Andrew Wilesmith, who is a member of the… Continue reading

Draft Kosciuszko National Park Wild Horse Management Plan released for community consultation

On Friday October 1st the NSW Government released the draft Kosciuszko National Park Wild Horse Heritage Management Plan (draft plan) with a community consultation period until the 2nd of November. The draft plan was prepared to meet the requirements of the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act 2018. The Australian Brumby Alliance (ABA) has the following response to the draft plan. Overall, the ABA acknowledges this draft plan is a change in direction from previous plans and we are grateful for the more balanced approached. Whilst there is still much work to be done to protect our Heritage Brumby for future… Continue reading

ABA Spring Newsletter OUT NOW!

The Spring Edition of Brumby Bridges is now available for your reading pleasure. In this issue: President’s Chat The Mega Problem of Large Herbivore Decline Introducing new ABA Member Bluewater Brumbies Book Review – Brumby Wars Australia’s Fortress Conservation is Outdated Brumbies in the Media – ABC Landline Southern Cross Brumby DNA Registry News from Save the Brumbies Continue reading

The Mega Problem of Large Herbivore Decline

There is a sad and important story unfolding. Climate change and human activity – including hunting,poaching, land-use change and resource depression by livestock – is closing in on the world’s megafaunaand in some corners of the globe, particularly in developing countries, many are under threat ofextinction. A growing area of research is showing that large terrestrial herbivores are crucial to ecosystems andhuman societies and their decline has cascading effects on other species. The rate of decline suggeststhat increasing areas of the world will soon lack many of the vital ecological services these animalsprovide, resulting in significant ecological and social costs…. Continue reading

Corindi flood Brumbies, rescued and rehomed by ABA Member Group Save The Brumbies

BRUMBY horses, rescued from the Corindi floods in March, have all been found new homes by Bellingen-based Save The Brumbies (STB) charity. “The horses were causing havoc on domestic farms due to fencing being destroyed,” Jan Carter, founder of STB, told News Of The Area. “They had strayed from the adjoining State Forests. “Grafton NPWS and Local Land Services didn’t want to euthanise the horses, so they put out a call and we stepped up and took eleven horses,” said Jan. “Quite a few were stallions needing to be gelded, which is quite an expensive job, but Land Serves paid… Continue reading