BRUMBY FACTS

Wild heritage horses known in Australia as Brumbies, revered for their iconic status, are facing a brutal massacre in the Kosciuszko National Park (KNP).

These magnificent beings, including pregnant mares and foals, are being chased and terrorised with helicopters — and being ruthlessly gunned down from the air.

Let’s be clear, these are slow and painful deaths, these are NOT quick deaths.

While spokespeople for Australia’s National Parks and politicians like Labor Minister Penny Sharpe have defended aerial shooting of Brumbies as humane the truth is far more disturbing.

During a recent NSW Animal Welfare Committee hearing, witnesses provided harrowing testimony. Ms. Ward, an attorney with Animal Defenders described a horrific incident where horses were pursued by helicopters and shot for a staggering nine minutes.

Most of the horses were not killed with the first shot, suffering prolonged, agonising deaths.

The Center for Invasive Species Solutions reinforces these concerns. They acknowledge that shooting from a moving helicopter significantly reduces accuracy, meaning many horses are wounded and left to suffer before being “finished off.” Furthermore, the most common method – a double-tap to the chest – does not result in instant death.

May 6, 2024: According to the Sydney Morning Herald nearly 3,000 Brumbies have been massacred in the KNP in the last month alone.

Again, according to the SMH since October 2023, a staggering 4,791 Brumbies have been subjected to a horrifying fate – chased by helicopters, shot, and left to suffer lingering deaths.

Also reported in the Sydney Morning Herald an additional 2,006 Brumbies have been slaughtered by ground-based shooters during the same period.

Are the reported numbers of Brumbies massacred accurate?

We don’t know but what we do know is that a government mandate requires 3,000 horses are to remain in the KNP and as you’ll see below the Government of NSW has a way of twisting numbers to suit their narrative.

We are calling the “official starting count numbers” the NSW Government’s “Maybe Math“.

Experts, like biostatistician Claire Galea, testified that the government’s population estimates are wildly inflated.

The NSW government’s October 2023 “distance sampling” method was denied the option of being peer-reviewed by the University that developed the software used — and produced a mind-boggling range of 12,797 to 21,760 Brumbies.

That’s a difference of nearly 9,000 horses – a margin of error so massive it’s off the charts!

Would This Fly Anywhere Else?

This level of uncertainty would not be tolerated in any other scientific field.

Imagine researchers in another discipline getting away with such a crazy range in their findings!

They’d be ridiculed and laughed out of the lab.

With such a shoddy population count before the cull even began, how can the government possibly know when to stop and ensure the mandated 3,000 Brumbies survive?

Are they just aiming for eradication disguised as management?

Biostatistician Claire Galea exposes another shocking truth: the cull is based on population estimates that were denied a peer review due to glaring flaws.

Within 5 minutes of watching the video above  you’ll see just how flawed the government’s count is.

This flawed data claims a 41% annual increase in Brumby numbers in each the 5 years between 2014 to 2019.

Biologically impossible, this figure suggests mares birthing seven foals a year when horses have an 11-month gestation period!

A wild horse has the same capacity to feel pain and fear as a native animal, and their lives deserve the same level of dignity and respect.

We need to find a way to protect the native animals at risk, without hunting down Brumbies with helicopters, ground shooting or hauling them to be slaughtered at knackeries.

We urge you to join us in demanding the NSW government stop this cruel cull and adopt humane, non-lethal solutions.