Pro-brumby group had filed legal action against the NSW environment minister in a bid to stop the aerial culling
A judge has ruled that the New South Wales government’s controversial aerial culling of brumbies in Kosciuszko National Park can proceed, dismissing a legal challenge from a local non-profit organization.
The Snowy Mountains Bush Users Group, an advocate for brumbies, launched a legal battle against NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe in June, aiming to halt the aerial shooting approved in October 2023. The group’s challenge argued that the decision was legally flawed and that aerial shooting inflicted unnecessary suffering on the wild horses, amounting to animal cruelty.
After a three-day court hearing in July, Justice David Davies delivered his verdict on Wednesday, rejecting the group’s claims and allowing the culling operations to continue. The court’s decision means the Snowy Mountains Bush Users Group will be responsible for covering the government’s legal expenses.
During the culling operations, which have been ongoing through autumn and winter, parts of Kosciuszko National Park have been closed. The culling aims to manage the brumby population, which had ballooned to over 20,000 horses—significantly impacting the park’s fragile alpine ecosystem. The previous coalition governments’ rehoming policies led to the horse population surge, necessitating the current measures to mitigate ecological damage.
The decision underscores the ongoing tension between wildlife management strategies and animal welfare concerns, with the NSW government emphasizing the need to protect the park’s environment from the adverse effects of an overabundant brumby population.