Surveys across the Kosciuszko National Park estimate the wild horse population has been slashed to between 1,579 and 5,639 in little more than a year.
It puts park operators on track to hit a mandated target of 3,000 feral horses over nearly one-third of the park by mid-2027.
Before-and-after images from the park show reduced bare ground and increased vegetation coverage, along with less soil damage and trampling of stream banks.
But Animal Justice Party MP Emma Hurst, who chaired a parliamentary inquiry into the aerial shooting of brumbies, said the data supported previous claims the population had been overstated.
“The last population estimate was between 17,000 and 21,700 horses, but now the park could have around 1,500 horses left after the removal of 8,954 horses,” she told AAP.
“Aerial shooting is extremely cruel and unjustified and—given there is now a recognition that the number of horses in the park were never anywhere near as high as the government claimed—it should be taken off the table entirely.”
The Australian Brumby Alliance (ABA) also questioned the data and said it didn’t correlate with what they had seen on the ground.
Culling should stop if the population was so low.
“The ABA calls on the government and Parks NSW to cease all trapping and shooting and work with the community to build a plan that is well-informed and involves experienced locals who have been working with the brumbies for many years,” President Nikki Alberts told AAP.
Aerial brumby shooting resumed in NSW under the state Labor government in November 2023.
About 6,000 have since been clipped to progress towards the population targets.
The headway was welcomed by the Invasive Species Council, which said the declining population showed genuine momentum towards protecting the park.
“We’re finally seeing a turning point,” Chief Executive Jack Gough said.
“Fewer hard-hooved feral animals trampling the fragile alpine environment means more native species returning, more delicate wetlands recovering and more hope for one of Australia’s most vulnerable national parks.”
The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service’s methods produced estimates of between 1,579 and 4,007 horses, and between 2,131 and 5,639 horses, each with a 95 percent confidence rating.
The wildlife service is not expected to shoot any more brumbies in the area, and it will maintain the 3,000-horse population from mid-2027.
Last week, parliament debated repealing the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act 2018, introduced by the Nationals to protect the “heritage value” of the brumby population and shape the current population targets.
Gough pointed out that no MPs had spoken against the proposal.
Water quality, threatened species, and sensitive areas will all be monitored to track the park’s continued recovery.
