A court will decide the future of Yuraygir’s feral horses. That matters for native plants and animals
Feral horses can inflict major ecological damage, as two experts explain.
A court hearing in New South Wales will determine the fate of feral horses in Yuraygir National Park, a significant landscape on Yaegl and Gumbaynggirr Country in northern New South Wales. These horses, descendants of domesticated ones, now breed independently in the wild, sparking a legal dispute over their management. The National Parks and Wildlife Service has been using aerial shooting, ground shooting, and trapping to control feral horses, pigs, deer, and foxes, but has since agreed to suspend these activities until a final hearing on September 9.
Feral horses are a contentious issue, cherished by some as a cultural heritage symbol and seen as a threat to the environment by others. Ecologically, they can cause severe damage to native ecosystems by trampling plants, compacting soils, eroding stream banks, and disturbing wetlands, which threaten numerous native species. For example, coastal emus, the largest population left in Australia, rely on these fragile habitats.
In addition to horses, other invasive species like foxes pose a significant threat to native wildlife, such as threatened shorebirds and the eastern ground parrot, whose nesting grounds could be destroyed by horse grazing and trampling. Thus, while the dispute primarily centers on feral horses, its implications may extend far beyond, potentially affecting the entire ecosystem of Yuraygir National Park.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
