Arabic version: طعن قضائي يستهدف اصطياد خيول البرومبي في كوسيوسكو

According to ABC News, brumby advocate Carmen Jackson has begun civil proceedings over the removal of wild horses from Kosciuszko National Park. The NSW south coast resident is challenging the legal authority for passive trapping, the only horse-control method currently being used in the park.

Ms Jackson initially sought to stop shooting of horses, but shooting has been paused until the next wild horse population survey is completed. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service has said aerial culling planned for November will target feral deer and pigs, rather than wild horses.

The NSW government is required to reduce the horse population to 3,000 by the end of June 2027. In the NSW Land and Environment Court, Ms Jackson argued that the court must determine whether the person conducting trapping falls within the relevant statutory pathway. She said passive trapping was irreversible because it resulted in the animal’s removal.

Declan Roche, representing the respondent, sought dismissal of the proceedings and said passive trapping was used to rehome horses rather than harm them. He told the court eight staff were authorised to conduct passive trapping in the national park, and said there were no plans to use shooting until 2027 at the earliest, after survey results are publicly released.

Justice Sarah Pritchard has reserved her decision. In August, NSW NPWS said it had removed 3,407 feral animals from Kosciuszko National Park over winter, including 1,039 wild horses. A further 135 wild horses were rehomed.