Based on the carcass of brumbies found, post shooting, the aerial and ground shooting of brumbies that has taken in place in Kosciousko over the last 12 months has been both cruel and barbaric.
The dispute over flawed brumby population claims by the NSW State Government continues with the New South Wales Governments continuing to claim there are 14,000 brumbies in the Kosciousko National Park, using that claim as a reason to continue with the barbaric shooting.
Brumby advocates assert there are likely under 3,000 or near to 3,000 after the brutal shootings for over a year, and, added to that is the strong evidence the population counts conducted by Stuart Cairns and relied upon by the NSW Government are both flawed and unreliable.
Particularly, as Struart Cairns failed to advise St Andrews University of his irregular change of the method of conducting the count of clusters, rendering their peer review a sham. This will be why the University found, the numbers claimed are remarkably high for the species. See below.
So why is Minister Sharpe refusing to carry out a count of brumbies in retention zones? Wouldnt you think she would just want it settled?
Is she doggedly submitting to the UN direction to remove "introduced species" despite the risk of loss of not only our cultural and social history with destruction of Heritage brumbies, and the slaughter of sentient Brumbies that have been living in the high country for about two centuries, and of course the Legislation in place protecting the Heritage value of Brumbies, recognised by the NSW parliament in 2018.
Since when does the UN dictate local Australian matters? Or is this a question of the Labor Party kowtowing?
Either way, there is no excuse. Constituents demand a proper count using any method other than the shamed distance modelling, and that any number beyond 3,000 be removed for rehoming or to a sanctuary. Rather than spending $8,000,000 which took place in 2023 on brumby shooting and removing, fund rehoming and sanctuaries where brumbies can live in refuge.
Brumby advocates believe, after conducting rigorous hiking and observations throughout the park, there are already likely less than or very close to the allowed 3,000 brumbies authorised to live across the four retention zones.
Minister Sharpe has refused to make a declaration about how many brumbies may live in each zone, and to undertake a Count before she authorises further aerial and ground shooting, and removing brumbies for rehoming. She is determined to "beat the Legislation"
It is our belief, this is highly irresponsible in light of the Legislation in place since 2018 protecting the Heritage value of Brumbies, the Object of the Act, and the fact we are dealing with mobs of sentient beings that have lived in family clusters in the high country for about two centuries, in harmony with other wildlife. There has never been a brumby impact statement prepared.
Claire Galea's report was presented to Minister Sharpe, and Claire gave evidence into the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into aerial shooting
The report states, in part:
There are concerning flaws in methodology and statistical modelling of the population estimates of wild horses in the Kosciuszko. Based on this analysis it is impossible to have any confidence in the population estimates provided; and
The survey methodology contains significant flaws that put in question the counting
of wild horses. Insufficient numbers of wild horses were seen to apply statistical modelling techniques to estimate populations.
For example: Values from surveys conducted in 2014 and 2019 were combined together as insufficient numbers were seen and population estimates done from this one single value which means that population estimates over time are fundamentally flawed
Claire Galea States:
I have been a statistician for over 25 years and have analysed all forms of data ranging from military to biological,
educational and medical, specialising in teaching, lecturing and scrutinising complex timebased data and examining trends. I have published over 50 peer reviewed papers, including my Masters dissertation, which was based on trends over time, as are the documents that I have reported on in my submission to this inquiry.
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