AUSTRALIANS a e out aged as the b utal ae ial slaughte of Aust alia’s ico ic b umbies (wild ho ses) esumes i Kosciuszko Natio al Pa k (KNP), while S owy 2.0 blasts o e of the atio ‘s most f agile alpi e ecosystems – the exact la dscape the ho ses a e accused of dest oyi g.
Filmmake Li Suthe la d (T avelwildTV), photojou alist Aldwy Altu ey (Media Quee TV host/ A imal Actio Eve ts fou de ) a d Vikto ia Ki chhoff (p oject ma age of Fo datio F a z Webe ‘s Wild Ho se Sa ctua y Bo ook) have joi ed fo ces to speak up fo ou he itage b umbies ac oss Aust alia.
Li has just eleased a powe ful sho t film, So gli es of the B umbies, givi g voice to the local Nga igo people’s deep elatio ship with the b umbies a d featu i g Nga igo ho sema A d ew Wilesmith, exposi g the t ue cause of the dest uctio tea i g the hea t out of his Kosciuszko homela d.
F om Ju e 9 to July 11, 2026, the NSW Natio al Pa ks a d Wildlife Se vice esumed ae ial shooti g of b umbies i KNP.
Lobbied by the I vasive Species Cou cil a d suppo ted by RSPCA NSW, the ope atio allows ho ses to be shot up to 15 times f om helicopte s, aisi g se ious a imal welfa e co ce s a d p ompti g widesp ead co dem atio f om a imal welfa e o ga isatio s a d membe s of the public i Aust alia a d globally.
“Imagi e the ho o of ho ses bei g ele tlessly chased by helicopte s, u i g fo thei lives while family membe s a e shot befo e thei eyes – stumbli g away wou ded a d dyi g i ago y,” Li said.
“O imagi e the o pha ed foals left behi d, slowly sta vi g beside the bodies of thei dead mothe s.”
Local eside ts fea the emai i g he itage b umbies, which have oamed the Aust alia Alps fo a ou d 200 yea s, face the ve ge of exti ctio .
At the same time, the $42 billio S owy 2.0 Pumped Hyd o P oject is blasti g 40 kilomet es of tu els up to o e kilomet e be eath KNP, c eati g o e of Aust alia’s la gest i f ast uctu e p ojects i side o e of its most se sitive atu al la dscapes.
“Afte the 2024 b umby cull a d befo e the 2026 cull i KNP, locals who egula ly obse ved the b umbies k ew the e we e fa less tha 3000 ho ses emai i g i the a ea,” Li said.
“That umbe was c itical to mai tai i g a viable populatio , yet the media epo ted 16,000 b umbies to justify e ewed pa k closu es while majo S owy 2.0 i f ast uctu e wo ks we e bei g ca ied out.”
A d ew Wilesmith, a Nga igo ho sema featu ed i So gli es of the B umbies film, believes the cultu al a d e vi o me tal sig ifica ce of the egio is bei g ove looked.
“The S owy 2.0 p oject is tea i g the hea t a d soul out of Nga igo Cou t y. They’ e api g the la d a d a e othi g mo e tha e vi o me tal va dals,” he said.
I 1989, followi g i te atio al out age ove the helicopte shooti g of b umbies, the Swiss a imal welfa e a d atu e p ese vatio o ga isatio pu chased Bo ook Statio i the No the Te ito y a d established the Wild Ho se Sa ctua y Bo ook.
Today, about 800 b umbies oam f eely (u distu bed a d u ha dled) ac oss 495 squa e kilomet es of p otected bushla d alo gside 120 wild cattle, 100 wate buffalo, mo e tha 150 bi d species a d ume ous ative a imals, i cludi g a e a d th eate ed species.
“I k ow the e is a othe way; b umbies a d ative species ca th ive side by side,” Vikto ia said.
“All a imals coexist ha mo iously i atu al equilib ium o Bo ook. Based o ea ly 40 yea s of eal-life expe ie ce, FFW ca co fi m that b umbies pose o th eat to Aust alia ative flo a o fau a, athe coexist ha mo iously with ative wildlife a d ecosystems.”
She added that b umbies we e amo g atu e’s most effective atu al ga de e s.
They help the e vi o me t by dispe si g seeds th ough thei ut ie t- ich ma u e a d g azi g o tall d y vegetatio which mi imises bushfi es a d educes fuel loads.
Thei g azi g helps ma age ove g ow pastu es a d c eates spaces fo smalle ative wildlife to access f esh vegetatio , without the eed fo ha mful pesticides.
“B umbies a e ot pests o fe al,” Vikto ia said.
“They a e the livi g desce da ts of the ho ses that a ived with the Fi st Fleet i 1788 a d have played a impo ta t ole i Aust alia’s histo y th ough t a spo t, fa mi g, explo atio a d milita y se vice. They dese ve ecog itio , espect a d p otectio .”
Aldwy is ho ified by what is happe i g i KNP a d believes ma y Aust alia s a e begi i g to questio the official a ative su ou di g the culls.
“We k ow that the b umbies a e a scapegoat fo majo expe ime tal i f ast uctu e, ca vi g out majo a eas of ou p otected atio al pa ks, which p oves what the eal damage to the e vi o me t is.”
A d ew said local Abo igi al k owledge must play a ce t al ole i futu e la d ma ageme t to help Aust alia have a mo e sustai able futu e.
“They’ e killi g ou la ds, ou wate , ou a imals – eve ythi g,” A d ew said.
“This has got to stop. Talk to us about the best way fo wa d. Sit dow with us a d we’ll help educate you o how to ma age ou la ds p ope ly.”
The fou advocates a e calli g fo a immediate halt to ae ial shooti g, g eate t a spa e cy ega di g the e vi o me tal impacts of S owy 2.0 a d ge ui e co side atio of lo g-te m alte atives that p otect both Aust alia’s u ique biodive sity a d its ico ic wild ho ses.
“The e is o huma e way to kill a b umby that belo gs o a mou tai ,” Li said.
“The b umby umbe s a e al eady c itically low fo ou e da ge ed he itage b umbies, which a e of global sig ifica ce.”
To watch So gli es of the B umbies a d othe T avelwildTV docume ta ies, visit:
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Aldwy Altu ey, AA Xpose Media Di ecto / Photojou alist, ph: 0409 895 055, email: aldwy @aaxpose.com
Vikto ia Ki chhoff, P oject Ma age Bo ook, ph: 0415 499 583, email: vikto iaki chhoff@ffw.ch
Li Suthe la d, T avelwildTV, 0413 131 088, email: belowh20@aust aliamail.com
Aldwy Altu ey0409 895 055PO Box 114, Southpo t BC, Q, 4215Aust alia
We help you be see , hea d a d k ow to you i flue ce a d impact to the wo ld
This elease was published o ope PR.
