Australian wildlife officials have proposed a plan to rehome or kill 10,000 wild horses in an attempt to limit their numbers. An aerial survey conducted in 2019 located 25,000 wild horses; many of these live in the alpine region of the country, which is home to many species of endangered flora and fauna.
The Kosciuszko National Park is under particular threat from the horses, which are considered to be an invasive species that cause extensive ecosystem damage. There are currently 14,000 wild horses in the park, and a plan drafted by National Parks and Wildlife Service in New South Wales suggests thinning the population to a more-sustainable 3,000 horses.
Scientists from the Australian Academy of Science argue that this plan doesn't go far enough to protect the park from equine impact. They suggest that the number of wild horses be more significantly reduced, if not eliminated entirely.
Though wildlife officials prefer to rehome the wild horses, only 1,000 horses have been rehomed since 2002. The proposed plan will allow trained experts to shoot the horses from helicopters to thin the population.
Read more at Live Science.
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