Reclaim Kosci

07/04/2025

03/04/2025

The Invasive Species Council have developed a list of priorities for the next Australian Government to tackle invasive species, including fire ants and ferals, but need YOUR help to make it a reality. Download your FREE email writing kit and tell your local election candidates to prioritize nature!
➡️ https://invasives.org.au/how-to-help/take-action/federal-election-take-action/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJa4vdleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHSTdwnabkUXexzosHJfMGPsgHqY3G8aiYzE1jcUG8-8uzjenxg5Ijwufiw_aem_sI9CQUTbZDnS64sYkt_cJQ

01/04/2025

🙏💚Thank you to all our incredible National Parks staff who are undertaking the essential work of professionally, humanely and safely reducing the feral horse population in the Australian Alps.
No-one likes to see animals killed, but the sad reality is we have a choice to make between urgently reducing the numbers of feral horses trashing and trampling our alpine streams or seeing the decline and extinction of our native wildlife.

"This image of Native Cat Flat demonstrates the effects of overgrazing and trampling by feral horses. The only remaining habitat for wetland-dependent plants occurs within the fenced enclosures, which are maintained by Parks Victoria." - Parks Victoria

Imagine what our alpine national parks would look like without feral horses and deer trashing the place? That long, thick grass cover you see in the fenced enclosures is home, food and protection for our native wildlife like the mastacomys, or broad-toothed rat. It filters and stores the water that is the headwaters for the mighty Murray, Murrumbidgee and Snowy rivers. It stores carbon in the landscape. It stops the fragile alpine soils eroding away.

This is a stark demonstration of our Australian heritage being desecrated by invasive species.

Update: For those commenting about native or other feral animal grazing pressure - this fencing is just a few strands, not net fencing with the bottom buried in the ground. Wombats can walk through it, roos, goats and deer can jump over it and rabbits would not even notice it.

01/04/2025

What do Labor, Liberal, Greens and Independent MPs all have in common? They all back urgent action to reduce the feral horses trashing and trampling Kosciusko National Park.

Have a listen to some great speeches by Independent MP Dr Joe McGirr MP, Liberal MP James Griffin MP, Labor MP Trish Doyle MP, Labor MP Steve Whan MP - Member for Monaro and Greens MP Sue Higginson.

They were speaking in the NSW Parliament to community members handing over a petition from 11,300 people calling for the repeal of the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act - a law which protects feral horses in a national park over our native wildlife.

01/04/2025

If you couldn't make it to NSW Parliament for the handover of the petition from over 11,000 people calling for the repeal of Barilaro's ridiculous law protecting feral horses in Kosciuszko NP, you can watch the proceedings here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV1RLy1jrVg
Includes some great speeches by Dr Joe McGirr MP, James Griffin MP, Trish Doyle MP, Steve Whan MP - Member for Monaro and Sue Higginson

In March 2025, in NSW Parliament we proudly presented a petition of 11,331 people calling for repeal of the ridiculous law in NSW that protects feral horses ...

28/03/2025

👏Here are 6 courageous and principled politicians who have stood up for our native wildlife and mountain streams time and again.

They are from different parties and different parts of the state but are united in backing our national parks staff to safely, humanely and professionally undertake the difficult but necessary work of removing feral horses to stop Kosciuszko National Park becoming a degraded horse paddock.

From left to right: Jeremy Buckingham (Legalise - Upper House), James Griffin MP (Liberal - Manly), Sue Higginson (Greens - Upper House), Trish Doyle MP (Labor - Blue Mountains), Steve Whan MP (Labor - Monaro), Dr Joe McGirr MP (Independent - Wagga Wagga).

They are seen here receiving a petition yesterday from 11,331 people calling for the repeal of the ridiculous NSW law that protects feral horses over our native wildlife in Kosciuszko National Park.

Thank you 🙏💚

(Of course, there are many more great MPs who have stood up for Kosci - but we wanted to give a special shout out to these six who came to yesterday's event as representatives of all the other supporters in their parties)

27/03/2025

💚 Good news: Yesterday in NSW Parliament we proudly presented a petition of 11,331 people calling for repeal of the ridiculous law in NSW that protects feral horses in Kosciuszko National Park. Thanjk you to everyone who signed this important petition!

A cross-party coalition of courageous MPs joined us to receive the petition. All spoke strongly in favour of further action to protect our precious alpine streams and native wildlife from feral horses.

Wagga independent MP Dr Joe McGirr MP, who has been an incredible public champion on this, will present the petition to parliament. He shared his hope that this is the catalyst to finally repeal Barilaro's Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act.

Under NSW Parliament rules, the size of this petition triggers a parliamentary debate.

Dr McGirr was joined by Labor Minister Steve Whan MP - Member for Monaro, Labor Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Trish Doyle MP, Liberal Shadow Enviro Minister James Griffin MP, Sue Higginson from the Greens and Jeremy Buckingham from Legalise Cannabis. The Liberal's Kellie Sloane - Member for Vaucluse was an apology due to a scheduling clash.

A huge thank you to Reclaim Kosci volunteer Linda Groom and incredible her team of 75 volunteers who have spent months collecting signatures and talking to thousands of people in over 50 locations across the state.

Here are some of the words Linda shared when she presented the petition to MPs:

"This is a major milestone. I started as a bushwalker who could see the damage being done by feral horses and wanted to do something about it, so I organised a protest in 2018 and then became involved with the Invasive Species Council and organised this petition.

"The Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act is a bad piece of legislation because it protects a feral animal in one of our most glorious national parks. It is pleasing to see representatives from all sides of politics demonstrating cross-party support in repealing the Act.

"What has really struck me while gathering signatures is how much public sentiment has shifted. More people now understand that removing feral horses, including lethal control, is necessary to protect the park’s precious wildlife and mountain streams."

📃 Here's the text of the petition:

This petition of residents of NSW and visitors to Kosciuszko National Park brings to the attention of the House:

1. The sensitive alpine ecosystems of Kosciuszko National Park, including the headwaters of the Murray, Murrumbidgee and Snowy Rivers, are being trashed, trampled and polluted by thousands of feral horses.

2. The Threatened Species Scientific Committee has warned that feral horses “may be the crucial factor that causes final extinction” for 12 native animals, including the iconic Corroboree Frog.

3. A law in NSW, the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act, currently protects feral horses over native wildlife in Kosciuszko National Park.

The undersigned petitioners therefore ask the Legislative Assembly to:

1. Repeal the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act 2018.

2. Ensure that feral animals are never again prioritised over native wildlife in a national park.

17/03/2025

Want a deep dive into the world of invasive species? 🐈‍⬛🦌🐇🪴
Invasive Species Council Interim CEO Jack Gough recently joined Jeremy Buckingham for his new podcast to talk all things weeds, feral animals, ants, bird flu and frightening fungi...

Join me as I jump Into the Weeds with Jack Gough, a policy expert and environmental strategist tackling one of Australia’s biggest ecological challenges—inva...

03/03/2025

Good news: Minister Sharpe told parlmt today preliminary figures show feral horse numbers in KNP are 'way down around 3 to 4000’

24/02/2025

Thank you Dr Joe McGirr MP for dropping by Wagga Wagga Marketplace to support our volunteers as they collect petition signatures to repeal the NSW Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act 2018.

Overturning the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act – which should be called the Kosciuszko Destruction Act – is essential for protecting our fragile alpine region. It protects feral horses at the expense of native animals and ecosystems.

No-one likes to see animals killed, but the sad reality is that we have a choice between reducing the number of feral horses or accepting the destruction of our sensitive alpine environment and the decline and extinction of our native animals.

Great to catch up with dedicated volunteers in the Wagga marketplace today, gathering signatures for a petition to repeal the Wild Horse Heritage Act.

Protecting our national parks and native ecosystems is crucial, and it’s great to see the community coming together to advocate for responsible conservation. Thank you to everyone who is lending their voice to this important cause.

If you’d like to learn more or add your name to the petition, get involved today!

03/02/2025

The grasses are growing again in Kosciuszko. These photos, taken last week, show a glade once used as a resting place by feral horses. It's on a ridge beside the upper Thredbo Valley. Following last year's cull of feral horses in this area, roll holes are recovering and long grass is starting to cover the many horse tracks. Un-munched by horses, the grasses are getting a chance to produce seeds, which will provide food for Kosciuszko's smallest birds and animals in the coming months. We want NPWS to continue their good work to protect Kosciuszko's grasslands from feral horses.

07/01/2025

G'day, Reclaim Kosci supporters. You might like to test yourself on the Invasive Species quiz published today by the ABC -

Australia's unique natural world has been under stress from invasive animals and despite multiple attempts, many are now here to stay.

02/01/2025

A cautious attitude to safety in the mountains is always good! This may not be the most comfortable way to cross a log above a creek, but it's far less risky than walking the log. Especially in a remote area like this - Leather Barrel Creek, Kosciuszko NP.

This creek flows to the Murray River. Its strong flow, after two drier-than-average months in the high country, is a reminder of the importance of protecting Kosciuszko National Park for its role as a water source.

PS The woman in this video is in her sixties, and attributes her survival of decades of bushwalking to a common sense and cautious approach.

11/12/2024

The Gungarlin River, tributary of the Snowy in Kosciuszko National Park, was flowing well last week. The soils and bogs of Kosciuszko retain and then slowly release water, moderating flows that benefit communities on both sides of the Great Divide. Protecting those soils and bogs from damage by feral animals is a no-brainer!

03/12/2024

Meanwhile, south of the border ... The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (Vcat) has found that Yorta Yorta woman Monica Morgan was racially vilified by the Barmah Brumby Preservation Group. Barmah National Park is a floodplain forest and wetland of national and international importance. To protect it, Parks Victoria has reduced the Park's feral horse population from 700 to 100, and plans to continue. In opposing Parks Victoria's policy, the Group published posters that included Ms Morgan's portrait and racist slogans. Read more at

Exclusive: Yorta Yorta woman targeted in campaign by Barmah Brumby Preservation Group that included posters with racist slogans, Vcat finds

26/11/2024

The slow path to recovery from feral horse damage on Long Plain, Kosciuszko National Park, has begun. The first photo shows a feral horse track near Spicers Creek, Long Plain, in November 2019. The photo next to it is the same spot in November 2024. The improvement is encouraging. The third photo, however, of the nearby, deeply-incised Starvation Creek, shows that some creeks will need many more years, and steadfast management of feral horse numbers, to recover.

13/11/2024

A bit of happy tail-waving is in order. An inquiry by the NSW Legislative Council has today released its report confirming that aerial culling is the key to protecting wildlife, like this alpine she-oak skink, from feral horse damage.

The inquiry's findings include:

- The count methodology used by the NSW government to count horses in Kosciuszko National Park uses current global best practice methods.

- Aerial shooting is the only method that allows the NSW government to reach the legislated target of 3,000 horses in the park by the 2027 deadline.

- The NSW government should have an independent third-party review of the Standard Operating Procedure regularly to ensure the procedure continues to reflect best practice.

We feel the alpine she-oak skink would heartily agree with the inquiry's outcome, which in a skink-sized sound bite, would be 'Good work NPWS, press on!'

Image: Lachlan Hall.

10/11/2024

For the first time in over 2 decades, significant numbers of feral horses have been removed from the Blue Mountains, following a landmark aerial control program undertaken by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).

The Invasive Species Council has welcomed this important program which has removed 93 out of about 100 feral horses that threatened the sensitive habitats of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and the Warragamba catchment.

The NSW government's confidence in undertaking this program reflects the community campaign to save Kosciuszko National Park from feral horses. That campaign has created a precedent that has paved the way for aerial control to become a vital part of conservation efforts statewide. Image: Kedumba Walls above the Kedumba Valley, Blue Mountains, by Tom Brennan.