Conservation hunter Clyde Thomas has entered the debate about the proposed cull of the Snowy Mountains’ wild brumbies, reminding that horses are “feral” and saying the environment has to be put first.
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“The brumby situation in the Kosciuszko National Park is fairly dire from what I’ve seen and certainly from what I’ve been told of late,” Mr Thomas, of Kiah, said.
“I have a friend that owns a property (in the Snowy Mountains) that hosts hundreds of wild horses, along with wild goats, pigs, deer, dogs, foxes, cats, rabbits and hares! You can only imagine how difficult it is to make a living off a farm that has to carry as many horses as he has cows and sheep.”
Mr Thomas said his friend - who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue in his community, and fear of reprisal – attempted mustering the wild horses into yards, before resorting to a private cull out of desperation.
Before Mr Thomas was rendered a quadriplegic in a horror car accident, the well-known South Coast landowner loved horse riding, and still keeps a small herd of horses on a parcel of land he owns in Eden.
“Both of us being horse lovers and horse owners find this a very emotional situation but the environment has to take first place,” Mr Thomas said.
“I can’t see any other way around this issue and feel that as long as (the cull) is done humanely I don’t have a problem.”
The proposed cull aims to reduce the wild brumby population by 90% over the next decade. A protest rally against the cull is planned in Sydney on August 2.
