Export the horses - live - on ships?

What would pale have to say about that!

now, if we could just cull people...

Thanks PALEIF for bringing this to our attention. I agree the fact that large numbers of horses are being shot at and left to die a slow and agonising death is something we should all be concerned about.

Picking up on Foxy's suggestion of finding alternatives for these horses, perhaps someone more knowledgeable in this area than I am can tell me whether or not it is possible to tame and break in feral horses. If so, and I'm not sure that it is, this would surely open up some better alternatives for these animals. I know the numbers are big but it would be a big improvement on the current situation if even a percentage could be rescued in this way.

This aerial shooting is nothing new either. I remember hearing about it several years ago. I recall being angry at the time but as often happens the media interest faded away and so did my attention with it I'm afraid to say. I agree with PALEIF that we should all do our bit to get this issue into the spotlight and keep it there.

One idea that came to mind as an alternative solution is a sort of boot camp based on horse work where young kids who need a bit of a hand up could be taught to tame and handle horses. They'd benefit from the animal contact and the development of new skills and the horses once tamed and broken in could be found new homes. Don't know if this is pie in the sky or whether it is actually a feasible idea, but I agree with Foxy that we should look for ways besides killing to cull the numbers of these wild horses.

Hmm... look, it's all well and good to get heated up over this cull, but allow me to put things into perspective.

It's a similar issue with all the dogs and cats that are put down every day - it's a shame, but it needs to be done. They can't be allowed to roam as they would ultimately either become a nuisance to people, or alternatively as is the case with cats, they become a hazard to the environment if they grow in numbers.

It is the same with these horses.

Now in relation to the killing, yes, I agree sterilisation would have been preferable, but the RSPCA has sided with this cull essentially because they know this method is the most practical.
The money saved can go into other wildlife initiatives. It is a shame that a minority of horses won't die after immediately being shot, though I'm sceptical of the claims that this is cruelty on a mass scale. From everything I've seen, it's the most practical humane method available.

At the end of the day, ask yourself what possible motivation the government could have for doing this if it wasn't necessary. Even if the equine influenza conspiracy theorists were correct (and I doubt they are), then it's still a valid reason.

Bronwyn, if there was any money in it, I'm sure someone would have had a go by now. Added to that working with wild aminals, especially those as big as horses, is quite dangerous. Even catching them is difficult (go read the Man from Snowy River) - they are intelligent animals and not as food-motivated as say pigs or foxes.

That said, I am afraid I am no horse-lover, and see feral horses as no different to feral pigs, foxes, cats, rabbits etc. All are destructive to our native environment and need to be culled with the ultimate aim of eradication. The current method used for culling may not be very appealing, but its effective. I would fully support a more EFFECTIVE method if one were developed, however shooting is generally the most humane option. If aerial culling is used though, it should be supported by ground workers who come in if a horse is maimed, to put it down as quickly as possible.

Other culling options generally relate to disease - calicivirus has been very effective on rabbit numbers, but as with poison, death is nowhere near instant (even a gut-shot animal dies faster). As far as humane methods of dispatch goes, shooting will always be right up there.

and... if you did manage to tame and train, oh say, 10,000 brumbies, were are you going to house them?

We have already thrown out the 'brumby in the backyard' idea, so then what. Who has enough land to keep horses? Ah! farmers. Just what they need in these hard times, another mouth to feed.

A while ago I watched brumbies put through an auction. No one wanted them. They sold for $50 to guess who? The nackery.