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I am extremely concerned about the impact that feral horses are having on some of Victoria’s most unique and irreplaceable environments, including those within the Alpine National Park and Barmah National Park.
The Victorian Alps are home to some of the most unique and special ecosystems in Australia. The incredible alpine species that occur in the alps are found nowhere else in the world. They rely on sphagnum wetland ecosystems that evolved over millennia without the impacts of hard-hoofed animals that weigh hundreds of kilograms.
Feral horse presence in these sensitive environments degrade sensitive wetlands to a point where they trigger the ecosystems to change and collapse. Repairing ecological damage of feral horses will take decades and cannot be done while they are still present within the landscape.
In places like the Barmah National Park, an internationally protected wetland, they are destroying sensitive moira grass wetlands, critical habitat for native species, which have declined by 96% over the past 80 years.
Horses belong in paddocks, not in our national parks. There are now more than 5,000 feral horses in the Victorian Alps alone. It is critical that action is taken to remove feral horses from some of Victoria’s most sensitive areas and that a range of control measures are used to reach this aim, including humane culling based on animal welfare standards.
Both the Australian Academy of Science and the RSPCA support effective feral horse control, including culling, based on sound animal welfare standards and standard operating procedures.
Despite best intentions, trapping and rehoming has failed to lower the number of feral horses across the Australian Alps over the past decade. In fact, over this time it is estimated that the population of feral horses in Victoria has doubled.
The current policy of the Victorian Liberals and Nationals, to halt humane culling, would stop the most effective and efficient feral horse control methods in the state. This policy would be a disaster for the native wildlife and ecosystems of the Victorian Alps and Barmah Forest.
I am writing to seek your commitment to heed the science and take the necessary steps to remove feral horses from Alpine and Barmah National Parks with urgency. Some people may not like it, but controlling feral horses is an action we must take if we truly care for Victoria’s unique environment and wildlife.
Please take urgent action to control feral horses and save our native plants and animals before it’s too late.
I am extremely concerned about the impact that feral horses are having on some of Victoria’s most unique and irreplaceable environments, including those within the Alpine National Park and Barmah National Park.
The Victorian Alps are home to some of the most unique and special ecosystems in Australia. The incredible alpine species that occur in the alps are found nowhere else in the world. They rely on sphagnum wetland ecosystems that evolved over millennia without the impacts of hard-hoofed animals that weigh hundreds of kilograms.
Feral horse presence in these sensitive environments degrade sensitive wetlands to a point where they trigger the ecosystems to change and collapse. Repairing ecological damage of feral horses will take decades and cannot be done while they are still present within the landscape.
In places like the Barmah National Park, an internationally protected wetland, they are destroying sensitive moira grass wetlands, critical habitat for native species, which have declined by 96% over the past 80 years.
Horses belong in paddocks, not in our national parks. There are now more than 5,000 feral horses in the Victorian Alps alone. It is critical that action is taken to remove feral horses from some of Victoria’s most sensitive areas and that a range of control measures are used to reach this aim, including humane culling based on animal welfare standards.
Both the Australian Academy of Science and the RSPCA support effective feral horse control, including culling, based on sound animal welfare standards and standard operating procedures.
Despite best intentions, trapping and rehoming has failed to lower the number of feral horses across the Australian Alps over the past decade. In fact, over this time it is estimated that the population of feral horses in Victoria has doubled.
The current policy of the Victorian Liberals and Nationals, to halt humane culling, would stop the most effective and efficient feral horse control methods in the state. This policy would be a disaster for the native wildlife and ecosystems of the Victorian Alps and Barmah Forest.
I am writing to seek your commitment to heed the science and take the necessary steps to remove feral horses from Alpine and Barmah National Parks with urgency. Some people may not like it, but controlling feral horses is an action we must take if we truly care for Victoria’s unique environment and wildlife.
Please take urgent action to control feral horses and save our native plants and animals before it’s too late.