Feral horses to be cut in national park

Former deputy premier and Nationals leader John Barilaro gave his final speech as an MP on Wednesday and revealed the plan to remove the feral horses within six years had been finalised.

The proposal will see horse numbers reduced in Kosciuszko National Park from more than 14,000 to 3000 by 2027 in a bid to protect the delicate alpine and sub-alpince ecosystems.

Based on a spring 2020 population survey it was found there are more than 14,000 wild horses across the park.

Scientific evidence has found they damage the park’s environment by trampling fragile ecosystems, eroding waterways and destroying key habitat for threatened species, including the northern corroboree frog and stocky galaxias fish.

The original management plan for the major national park in southern NSW proposed to leave just 600 wild horses in the park but Mr Barilaro rejected it on the basis of preserving the animal’s heritage.

Environment Minister Matt Kean revealed the plan would reduce the amount of land the horses could roam to just 32 per cent.

Horses will be caught in passive traps and then either shot, sent to knackeries or rehomed according to the plan on the government’s website.

Experts, indigenous stakeholders and more than 4000 public submissions were taken into account before the plan was finalised.

“Today we release a plan that will finally provide protection for the numerous threatened species and the suite of important alpine and subalpine ecosystems that call Kosciuszko National Park home,” Mr Kean said on Wednesday.

Environmentalists have pushed for the reduction of feral horses.

During his final speech Mr Barilaro said the plan was to protect the park while also maintaining the “heritage value”.

Originally published as More than 10,000 feral horses to be removed from Kosciuszko National Park