Court allows shooting of wild horses in Yuraygir Park — ABC News Australia

The Land and Environment Court of the Australian state of New South Wales dismissed a claim by wild horse advocate Carmen Jackson, who sought to stop the aerial shooting of animals in Yuraygir National Park near Grafton. The decision means the state government can resume the planned operation to remove feral horses from the park, ABC News Australia reports.

Court found no breach of the law

Jackson filed an urgent application for an injunction in late August. She argued that the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service had no legal authority to carry out aerial shooting in Yuraygir. In her view, the park’s management plan provided only for the “removal” of horses.

Judge Rachel Pepper ruled that the claimant had not provided sufficient evidence that the shooting was contrary to the National Parks and Wildlife Act. The court also found that the management plan provides for the removal of wild horses, while the specific method of carrying out this task is a matter of the government’s operational decisions.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Changes to the pest management plan

During the September hearing, government representatives said that the term “removal” was broad and did not exclude killing the animals. Judge Pepper noted that the secretary has broad discretionary powers to remove or eradicate wild horses and is authorised by law, if not required, to remove them from the park.

After the initial application was filed, the pest management plan for Yuraygir National Park was updated ahead of the October 1 hearing, explicitly adding aerial shooting to pest control methods. The National Parks and Wildlife Service can amend such plans without ministerial approval.

Jackson has also filed a separate lawsuit concerning the aerial shooting of wild horses in Kosciuszko National Park. A decision in that case has not yet been made.