Five Days To Stop Senseless Slaughter
Western Victoria MP Bev McArthur has called on Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio to step in to halt Parks Victoria’s planned cull of hundreds of brumbies in the Bogong High Plains and Eastern Alps Victoria, due to begin next week (Monday, 18 May 2020).
Following a Federal Court judgement, Parks Victoria has gained approval to enact its Feral Horse Action Plan, a planned reduction of horse numbers which the Australian Brumby Association had sought to block.
Mrs McArthur said: “They might prefer to discuss humanely trapping and transporting animals, but that's not the real story. I’ve looked through the Federal Court decision, and the judge is absolutely clear: Parks Victoria’s own expert Dr Mark Norman admitted that though Parks Victoria will seek to rehome some captured brumbies, he expected the vast majority to be culled.”
She added: “The horses will be shot at night, and the lack of accuracy that causes is bound to bring further suffering. Parks Victoria is about to embark on a cruel campaign to eradicate an animal population dear to the heart of Victorians.”
“These animals are a part of the cultural heritage of this area, a link to our state’s great pioneering past, and an essential part of the rich landscape of the Australian Alps.”
“They are the animals of the iconic Man from Snowy River, and the Silver Brumby books. People from all over the country will often visit our Alpine region to, in the words of Banjo Paterson, “catch a glimpse of brown and black, dim shadows on the grass,” a moment which they often remember for the rest of their lives.
Mrs McArthur drew particular attention to the smaller brumby population in the Bogong High Plains.
“These little horses (approx 100) are the last in Australia directly linked to the Waler trade. No new blood has been introduced into them. These horses carry the genes of Walers that left Australia to serve in the Middle East in WWI and never returned. Confined to one unique area for more than 100 years, they make up a distinct group. Their population is not growing, and it’s absurd to suggest they are causing widespread damage.
“The Minister should rethink this whole idea, but in particular the threat to cull the Walers of the Bogong High Plains.”
“The real environmental damage is done by feral animals including pigs, wild dogs and cats but especially deer, which outnumber the brumbies by 100 to 1. Parks Victoria are clearly incapable of managing the deer and pig populations, and should be encouraging professional, licensed and skilled hunters to deal with them, at no cost to the taxpayer, rather than targeting the brumbies."
“Even the small existing population would be better controlled if the Labor Government had not banned cattle grazing in the Alpine National Park, precluding mountain cattlemen from keeping the brumby population under control by humanely eliminating the sick, injured and old horses as they had been doing previously.”
Mrs McArthur highlighted the urgency of her call. “I am told that this cull is likely to begin as early as next week. Opposing it is a cause which will unite animal lovers with anyone who appreciates our state’s cultural heritage – this slaughter is an act of cultural vandalism as well as animal cruelty. Minister D’Ambrosio must call a halt to it forthwith.”
13 May 2020