Australia's iconic wild brumbies (horses) are once again being chased by helicopters and shot from the air. Advocates documenting the operation say horses, including mares, foals, and stallions, are being killed as part of an aerial culling program inside Kosciuszko National Park. Images emerging from the park have left animal lovers around the world horrified. There has to be a better way.
Sign the petition urging the New South Wales government to immediately halt the aerial shooting program and work with animal welfare advocates to implement humane, science-based alternatives.
The New South Wales government argues that reducing brumby numbers is necessary to protect the park's fragile alpine ecosystems. While protecting native habitats is an important goal, many animal welfare advocates, veterinarians, and brumby supporters believe it should not come at the cost of chasing terrified horses from helicopters and killing them from the air.
Instead, they are calling for the government to fully evaluate humane alternatives such as fertility control, relocation, and rehoming before resorting to lethal measures.
Around the world, wildlife managers increasingly recognize that long-term population management is most successful when it combines sound science with humane practices. Australia should bring animal welfare experts, conservation scientists, and brumby advocates to the same table to develop solutions that protect both the park's unique ecosystems and the horses that have become part of the nation's cultural heritage.
Thousands of horses should not lose their lives before every humane option has been genuinely explored.
Sign the petition now to urge the New South Wales government to stop the aerial shooting of wild brumbies and work with experts and advocates to implement humane, effective alternatives.
