UPDATE VIA TWITTER. Today’s NSW Land and Environment Court hearing regarding the planned trapping of feral horses in the north of Kosciuszko National Park post-fires has been adjourned to next Friday July 17. We’ll keep you updated!
Public outrage is mounting to a climax at the National Parks Department in New South Wales, under the Minister of Environment, Matt Keen, culminating in Court action by The Snowy Mountain Brumby Sustainability & Management Group Incorporated, fighting for the rights to protect the last entire remaining herd of 4,000 Australian Brumbies living in our Kosciusko National Park.
Legal action has now been brought against the State of New South Wales, which includes, National Parks New South Wales. The fatal and deciding case is going to be seen in Court this Thursday, 9th July 2020, at 9.30 am in the Land and Environment Court, Court 10A, Sydney Court. Pressure is mounting for public awareness of this cruel removal and mass slaughter to extinction of the herds.
A representative close to the action, Clare Katavich, Founder of Aussie Brumbies, states ‘We are fighting for the very last of this heritage line of our Snowy Mountain Australian Brumbies that have been living in protection over the past 200 years, and we want them to remain in their ancestral home.
These living and peaceful brumbies were born in the Kosciusko National Park and as Australians’, we need to do everything we can to protect the last remaining 4000 brumbies. The Man From Snowy River, and Russell Crowe’s, Silver Brumby, are examples of our Australian iconic movies, and our portrayal of how important these wild horses were and still are to us, real Aussies.
These horses are our mates, and we need to protect every last one of them. That the Australian Government will massacre all of the pregnant mares, baby foals — no matter how old, and stallions, through abattoirs where they will die through a bolt to their head, and they will know the fear of this for days, is a disgrace to the national public.
These horses are fight or flight animals, they scare easily and will try and run. They will be transported on trucks where they will be hurt climbing over each other in fear. They will hear the screams of fear and pain while they’re housed in the abattoir pens while their herds are slaughtered and screaming. If anyone has heard a horse scream in fear, it is piercing! They will be able to smell the blood miles away and this will be terrifying for all 4,000 of them, while their mares and foals die only metres away from their holding pens! It’s completely inhumane and shameful of Australia.’
“Australia was built, literally on the back of the brumbies, who helped in WWI and WWII, to build our roads, to build our vast cities and remote towns. They help build the very basis of our Australian life, in this broad country we call home, that never would have had a chance to be crossed without our Aussie Brumbies”, said Clare Katavich.
There are several National Parks around the world, that cherish the roaming ability of the horses to ensure grazing and minimal impact on the land, including in England and Europe — they even ask for more herds!
‘I am thinking Australia should be at the forefront on protecting and providing sanctuary to the very horses that helped protect us in previous generations. This is why you see lighthorseman band together with communities across all states of Australia, together with indigenous landowners to demand protection for our Aussie Brumbies – which Australian National Parks are flatly ignoring! The fact is, the National Parks services across at least Two states have NOT provided sufficient evidence on population counts after the devasting bushfires that would have decreased their numbers significantly, therefore, the National Parks removal targets, will wipe out and make our Australian Brumbies extinct in these National Parks.’ Clare reiterates.
‘Being close to several court actions and community protests where National Parks and Department of Defence both deceived communities that were willing to provide sanctuary for our Aussie Brumbies, I am aware that the National Parks research is being created by Professors and scholars, who fundamentally have no correct knowledge of horses, their impact, breeding cycles, or their full fundamental impact on our environment in relation to their roaming herbivore habits.
There is more destruction from humans and the National Parks’ mismanagement of the ground fuel that are causing the scale of the last devastating bushfires.
We call for the Australian Government to provide immediate protection of our brumbies, and provide a sanctuary for them. This is why I’ve taken steps to create a sanctuary, called, Aussie Brumbies. This will be represented by our very best Australian Ambassadors, and will be an ongoing, national cause — like how Steve Irwin put crocodiles on the map. Our brumbies matter.’ Clare said
The wild horses in Kosciusko National Park should have been protected from the ‘Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Bill 2018’ which fundamentally was designed as a protective legislative Bill, but due to the two committees reaching no agreement, has been completely ineffective in providing any protection.
Mass public outrage was peaked in 2000, upon seeing the aerial killing video of the Guy Fawkes National Park, which can be viewed on our Aussie Brumbies facebook page, which caused mass protest, and the creation of this protective ‘Brumby Bill’, and Australians’ need to be aware that this is not protecting the brumbies.
The slaughter of these 4,000 brumbies by our Australian Government is atrocious and barbaric, especially when there are several, more peaceful, solutions, including creating a community sanctuary for the Australian Public to be able to see wild horses, in the wild. The National Parks, are essentially for the Australian Public, and we need to preserve our Australian culture and heritage! We want to hear from anyone who can help provide sanctuary with fenced land.’ said Clare.
We are calling on all Australians and Australian Government to get behind the peaceful rehoming and rescue of these invaluable icons of our Australian heritage, and call on Matt Keen, Minister of Environment to immediately stop the trapping and removal of the brumbies, scheduled for murder at the abattoirs on Friday. ‘It’s a complete outrage, and Australians’ need to know why the Australian Government is hell bent on killing all of our Australian wild horses, right now’. Donations are being raised. We welcome supporters to go to Facebook, Aussie Brumbies, or Snowy Mountain Brumby Action Group.
Featured Image: Wild horses roam in the Kosciuszko National Park. Credit: Joe Armao.
Related Reading
No management of Brumbies in Kosciuszko for 18 months, by John Elicott, TheLand.com, Jan. 2020
Tuesday's Horse 
Yes we must stop this cruel and unjustified massacre. See my recent article at https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2020/06/10/defence-australias-brumbies
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Yes, this must be stopped. See my article at https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2020/06/10/defence-australias-brumbies
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How dare this government we have in NSW even THINK of sending our precious brumbies to slaughter!
It’s barbaric.
Clare Katavich has it so right, everything she has pointed out is absolutely spot on.
A community sanctuary is the answer.
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