THE State Government has confirmed its intention to eradicate hundreds of wild brumbies in Barmah Forest and the Alpine National Park.
In Budget Estimates testimony this month, the State Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio, and Parks Victoria, answered questions concerning the management of wild brumbies.
THEY confirmed that 400 of the 500 brumbies estimated to live in Barmah Forest will be shot, with Labor’s plan to “eradicate” the entire population at Barmah Forest “over the forward years.”
Shadow Minister for Environment, James Newbury, said the Government’s admissions were disturbing and out of step with community expectations.
“Victorians should be disturbed that the State Labor Government has admitted to a plan of eradicating wild brumbies,” Mr Newbury said.
“The plan to shoot hundreds of wild horses, rather than re-homing them, is as sick as it is disturbing.”
What is equally disturbing is the departmental tender documents, which implement the Government’s eradication plan, as it further highlights the gruesome strategy adopted by Labor.
The tender calls for the use of dogs to hunt the horses, that contractors will need to supply chainsaws, and hunted horse carcasses must be cut up and removed from view.
Action groups, like the Australian Brumby Alliance (ABA), strongly urge Parks Victoria and the State Government not to shoot until after horse rehoming programs have been reinstated in order to meet Parks Victoria’s intent to maximise wild horse rehoming, annual counts are conducted and the results made public, and monitoring positive and negative impacts on environmental impacts to determine any change over the time the management is carried out.
Liberal Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell called out the Labor’s plan to shoot in secret, urging Ms D’Ambrosio to intervene to stop the slaughter.
“After Victorians were rightly outraged at Labor’s plans to slaughter the iconic Barmah Brumbies, Parks Victoria agreed to trap the brumbies and allow them to be placed in care or into a re-homing program.”
“It is clear Parks Victoria are reneging on this agreement and I call on Ms D’Ambrosio to immediately intervene and stop plans to secretly cull Barmah brumbies by contracted professional shooters.”
At 1pm on Wednesday, June 8 a rally will be held on the steps of Parliament to protest the sniper shooting of wild brumbies.
Ms Lovell said, “I’d encourage anyone who cares about animal welfare to come to the steps of parliament and protest this matter.”
For more details, view the Facebook event https://fb.me/e/1H0q6dB4V
