BRUMBY FACTS
Together we can advocate for
humane non-lethal alternatives to the inhumane
massacre of Australia's wild horses known as Brumbies.
Sydney Morning Herald: 6797 WILD HORSES, INCLUDING FOALS, slaughtered in Kosciuszko National Park, NSW, Australia in 7 months. Yes, even babies are being massacred.
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WILD HORSES SUFFERING SLOW & PAINFUL DEATHS
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.
EXPERT TESTIMONY PROVES TORTUOUS 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.
CENTRE FOR INVASIVE SPECIES SOLUTIONS AGREES DEATHS ARE INHUMANE
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.
3000 WILD HORSES INHUMANELY MASSACRED IN APRIL 2024?
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.
4791 + 2006 = 6,797
JUNE 2026: IS THIS A NUMBERS GAME GONE WILD?
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.
GOVERNMENT COUNT SHOULD BE RIDICULED NOT ACCEPTED
We are calling the "official starting count numbers" the NSW Government's "Maybe Math".
For years, Australians have been told that aerial shooting is necessary because there are simply too many Brumbies in Kosciuszko National Park.
But before thousands of horses are chased by helicopters, shot from the air and left to die, there is one obvious problem.
Nobody seems to know how many horses are actually there.
Although the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act 2018 (commonly known as the "Brumby Bill") was repealed in 2025, the current management plan still aims to reduce the population to approximately 3,000 horses by June 2027.
Yet the NSW Government's latest survey estimated there are somewhere between 6,476 and 16,411 horses remaining in the park.
Read that again.
Not 6,476.
Not 16,411.
Somewhere between the two.
That's a difference of almost 10,000 horses — enough horses to populate a small Australian town.
UPDATED: Thousands of horses have already been removed from the park, including almost 7,000 slaughtered through aerial shooting and other lethal control methods since late 2023.
And yet the government's latest estimate still spans nearly 10,000 horses.
Would This Fly Anywhere Else?
This level of uncertainty would not be tolerated in any 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.
Which brings us to the obvious question:
How can anyone know when the target of 3,000 horses has been reached if nobody can say with confidence how many horses there are to begin with?
And if nobody can answer that question, how can Australians have confidence that this is population management rather than a path toward eradication?
FOLLOW THE TAXPAYERS' MONEY
Australians are constantly told there is no alternative to aerial shooting.
But here's a question few people seem willing to ask:
Have humane alternatives ever been given the same opportunity to succeed?
For years, approved rehomers, sanctuaries, volunteers and rescue organizations have helped Brumbies leave the wild alive. They have transported horses, provided veterinary care, trained untouched horses, found suitable homes and supported adopters.
That work has been funded through donations, fundraising and their own pockets.
At the same time, governments have committed millions of dollars to trapping, mustering and lethal control programs.
What if even a fraction of the money spent on lethal control had been invested in helping approved rehomers, sanctuaries and rescue organizations scale their efforts, move more horses safely out of the park, support adoption programs, and develop humane fertility control strategies for the future?
If humane alternatives have never been funded, supported and tested at the same scale, how can the government possibly claim that an aerial massacre is the only solution?
Before more healthy wild horses are chased, shot from helicopters and left to die, slow horrible deaths -- Australians deserve an honest conversation about whether the goal is managing horse number -- or decimating the population by the fastest means possible.
YOU CAN HELP STOP THIS BARBARIC INHUMANE SLAUGHTER
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.
1. Contact the MPs responsible: Make your voice heard!
Demand an end to your tax dollars being used to massacre Brumbies.
2. Sign these petitions: Show the government the overwhelming public opposition to this barbaric practice. BUT hurry before it's too late.
3. Contact the RSPCA NSW: Wild horses are suffering under RSPCA NSW inaction. Take a stand. Add your voice - fill out a quick form and urge others to join you.
4. Donate: We are a volunteer-run organization relying on your support to end this cruelty. Every donation -- no matter what size -- gets us closer to our goal.
