10,000 wild horses in Australia will be wiped out because of overpopulation

Authorities plan to kill or relocate more than 10,000 wild horses to limit the number of this species, but researchers say that number is not enough.

The number of wild horses in Australia is more than 25,000 based on the results of the 2019 aerial survey, according to the Alps National Park. The majority of wild horses live in the high mountains of Australia, located at the intersection of three states: New South Wales (NSW), Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory.

Wild horses breed in the mountains of Australia. (Photo: Abc.net.au)

Australia's high mountains cover just 1% of the continent, and contain many endemic and threatened species that can't be found anywhere else, says David Watson, an ecologist at Charles Sturt University in Australia. Wild horses, an invasive species in Australia, also reproduce rapidly and destroy the ecosystem in this area.

One place in particular endangered is Kosciuszko National Park in NSW, home to more than 14,000 wild horses. A new draft plan released by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service on October 1 aims to reduce the number of wild horses in Kosciuszko National Park to 3,000. The remaining horses will be controlled in 32% of the park. Authorities say the plan will protect the area while preserving the "heritage value" of wild horses, a controversial concept covered in 2018 state law. culturally important to the park, although they were introduced to the area by European settlers.

However, in an open letter published on October 29, 69 scientists from the Australian Academy of Sciences said that the draft plan leaves too many feral horses and cannot protect the national park well against the effects of the sun. their movements. They argue that the authorities are following the wishes of wild horse campaigners and ignoring scientific evidence. The scientists called on the National Parks and Wildlife Service to reduce the number of wild horses to much lower than the 3,000 proposed to protect Kosciuszko as a whole.

According to Watson, the NSW government has chosen the worst place for wild horses to roam. The Australian highlands are home to a number of endangered and vulnerable animals, including the stocky galaxias fish (Galaxias tantangara), the upland tree frog (Litoria verreauxii alpina) and the broad-toothed rat (Mastacomys fuscus). There are no native ungulates in Australia, so wild horses also do a lot of damage to plants that have not evolved to be their food. The increased number of horses led to excessive grazing. "These areas are too fragile for large herbivores to trample everywhere , " said Don Driscoll, an ecologist at Deakin University in Australia.

Two other upland states are also dealing with wild horses with tougher measures. The Australian Capital Territory, which borders Kosciuszko National Park, will eliminate any feral horses that cross the border. On November 1, Victoria also announced a plan to manage and eliminate all wild horses in the state's highland habitat.

The preferred method for removing wild horses from their natural habitat is to take them to private land. But this measure is time-consuming and expensive, with only about 1,000 feral horses in NSW being successfully relocated since 2002. If the plan fails, authorities will have to eradicate feral horses by shooting from the ground. overhead.