Minutes of fear, pain and suffering is your worst case scenario for aerial culling? Clearly you haven't seen the evidence proving otherwise, either that or you think it's negligible or justified. The reality of aerial culling is that more often than not an animal will suffer tremendously, and yes sometimes even for days before dying. Whether that be a foal dying slowly from lack of milk next to its dead mother or from a mortal wound sustained in the terrifying stampede, or a horse shot incorrectly without follow up walking for days while they slowly bleed out, there is more than enough fear, pain and suffering involved I assure you.An objective person would consider the many variables involved with a process, its benefits and its flaws, but most importantly its proven outcomes or performance before making a decision on its effectiveness and suitability. Objectively speaking, I would much prefer the current program wherein a proportion are killed at a knackery and therefore utilised whilst an increasing number is rehomed each year, than see thousands slaughtered by aerial culling, leaving their bodies to become carrion for the many who would feast, not to mention the distinct possibility of fouling a water catchment servicing three states with something much worse than horse manure.Your comment that trapping cannot be justified unless the majority are rehomed is highly confusing; you're advocating a wholesale aerial slaughter which will see the entirety of the horses killed as opposed to a program that sees a proportion of them rehomed, saying that unless more are rehomed it's unjustifiable?If the program is aimed at reducing numbers in the park, it is effective whether or not they're rehomed as the aim is simply their removal. It's thanks to the hard work of the advocate groups working with NPWS that rehoming is even a possibility, something of a bonus for the horses you could say, but never something intended as part of the design of the program itself.

I think that the point about being euthanased as soon as possible is an important one. On site euthanasia of passively trapped animals that cannot be rehomed would be ideal for me. If this is not possible then the use of local abattoirs would be an improvement on sending them to SA. I really think this is where the conversation needs to be heading. It seems crazy to stop passive trapping when there has been such an investment in infrastructure and knowledge into this method and even though some think its not working, the predicted increase in population (which was based on no management) did not happen, so I think it was at least doing something. We should be looking to improve the humaneness and effectiveness of a program that is basically good, rather than trying to rewrite the entire management plan. If this type of management could be coupled with some fertility control and fencing, possibly some ground shooting in exceptional circumstances, some tourist options to provide extra funding and a serious (possibly community run) Brumby research program that gives information on where to implement each type of management approach and the impact that management is having on the location it has been implemented, then I think we could reach the targets that we MUST set.

Alex,Are you able to provide a web page as well, I did a search for Brumiesrus and got nothing. Thanks

Mostly the issue is that rehoming organisations are swamped and can't take them all, although we try. We need time to train horses and move them on to new homes so sometimes we can't take the horses even if the rangers have just trapped a large number and we really want to. This is something that could possibly be improved with a little extra cooperation, possibly by creation of a website/facebook group or something where organisations could easily hear about when there are horses available or could easily communicate when they have space free. A minimum holding time could be set so people could have time to get to the park to pick them up etc. The HVBA has actually never had any issue picking up horses when we want to, we just call and organise a time to meet with the rangers, but I've heard of others having issues and I think these are often due to everyone being so busy that its hard to organise. If we had one place where we could go to find out when trappings were occuring, how many horses where there etc we might be able to get more rehomed. Very occasionally there might be a horse that is unsuitable but most are just the excess that we can't take. As a side note, we do not pick our horses, it is heart braking to have to choose who lives and who dies (literally), so we ask for a quanity, sex ratio and age, then the wonderful man running the program puts aside what we need. He treats the horses so well and it is such a shame that he gets constant harassment when he does such an amazing and difficult job.

There is nothing wrong with the rest of the brumbies Peter. The problem is that there are too many horses being removed at once for the market. NPWS need to be educated on the fact that a large cull or removal of horses will only make the numbers increase faster... If they were removed less frequently and in smaller targeted numbers the population would stablise at the lower level. But that conversation is not for this particular forum.

Thanks Judy. It is good to hear the wide range of views and potential options for the management of wild horses in the National Park. The current and only management approach to wild horses under the existing management plan is removing them from the National Park and rehoming them, where possible, with the help of organisations like BrumbiesRUS. You can view the existing plan at http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/nature/KNPHorseManagementPlanFinal08.pdf

When aerial culling results in the least suffering, a 0% wounding rate and even the RSPCA supports it then perhaps its neither cruel, unnacceptable nor unjustifiable.http://www.tophorse.com.au/vets-declare-brumby-aerial-culling-humane__aerial_culling__Nhttp://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-13/animal-welfare-horse-culling/4873726http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11161675

If we get rid of all the Brumbies, what ware going to show our future generation where they roamed the country side. I love showing friends the wide open space on which to ride & come across mobs of wild Brumbies.

Firstly the people who take the brumbies on and train them up ready to be rehomed make a loss on every single brumby they rescue. We take whatever is available in the yards at the time we are going down (including a stallion that had lost an eye in a fight). They are not the best 200 from 1000, all brumbies are just the best. The other 800 would also be amazing, unfortunately we will never know because they are slaughtered instead. Secondly Mbidgee, It is obvious from your comment that you have never worked with a brumby. This is a shame because you are really missing out on something special. I do not yet personally own a brumby, but I have owned horses my whole life (including a free ex-race horse with impeccable (Sir Tristram) breeding that once cost its owners $140000 to buy) and I will never buy another horse that isn't a Brumby. I live in town at the moment so owning a horse is impractical, but as soon as I can I will be purchasing a Brumby of my own because I have had the pleasure of working with them for over three years now and have seen first hand how wonderful they are. What is the special trait? Let me try to explain. They are never pushy or rude, they understand personal space and body language and are respectful and never silly. When you let them out into a new paddock they move with caution, checking out their surroundings before calmly settling on a place to eat, never flying around in a crazed gallop like a domestic will. They learn quickly and once they understand what you are asking they will do it every time.They try so hard to please you from the day they step out of the park and even when they are scared if you show them that something new (say a rubbish bin) is ok, by touching it they will have a go at touching it too. They are so gentle with children, understanding that, like foals, they are small and breakable and you must be careful around them. They have grown up in true family groups, so they understand that everyone has a place and are very willing to accept that you are the leader. They are incredibly social animals always happy to meet new horses, and very vocal, calling out to each other, and to you as soon as they see you. But the biggest difference is that while I loved my (past) domestic horses, they did not love me. They liked me, they enjoyed our rides, they would come up to me in the paddock, but having seen the bond brumbies create with their owners I now know my domestic horses did not love me. A Brumby will whinny on seeing you, they will run at top speed to you and nuzzle in to your chest then follow you around trying to "help" with everything that you do. They actually want to be around you and will choose to come and graze right next to the fence near to the house if you are sitting on the veranda just to be near you. One of the main reasons that people who own brumbies love them so much is because the brumbies love them back. Brumbies are incredibly special horses to work with and I cannot wait to own my own. Unfortunately people who have never worked with them wonder what all the fuss is about, but whenever someone works with a brumby for the first time, we ask them what they think. Their answer is always the same "they are just so different aren't they, I can't put my finger on it but they are different". If you would like to experience this for yourself, you are welcome to contact the HVBA or your local rescue organisation, we are always looking for volunteers and you never know, you might find yourself as in love with these horses as we are.

I have spent good money on horses, I have 2 PRE Andalusians, I have also rescued STB's which I got for free, some stock horses from the doggers which were cheap and my 4 soon to be 5 Brumbies I have paid for (more that the STB's and stock horses.I love them all but the bond I have with my Brumbies is special, they have been the easiest to train, the most sure footed and the most hardy.I would not swap them for the world and I would never buy or rescue anything else now that I have spent time with them