Australia to cull 10,000 horses.

[Gromit]

Australian plans to shoot more than 10,000 wild horses are barbaric and unnecessary, say critics.

The horses, known as brumbies, cause soil erosion, trample springs and streams, damage Aboriginal cultural sites and compete for food with native animals, allege authorities in Queensland.

But animal rights groups say shooting horses from helicopters is inhumane. They want mares to be injected with infertility drugs.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml =/news/2007/11/12/woz112.xml

[babybombo]

Oh the thought of that poor foal standing over its mother.

Surely you would think the infertility drugs would be so much more humane than leaving an injured animal to die?
But then I suppose all the government will be thinking of is money.

I'll probably be criticised for saying this but the land the horses are "damaging" was probably the land they lived on before people even knew it existed.

Whats your view Gromit ?

[LoftyLottie]

Are they going to shoot all the thousands of wild camels too?

Babybombo - the horses (and camels) were not in Australia originally. They were brought over by the first settlers and then neglected and abandoned so they turned wild and bred. The conditions they live in are dreadful because the Australian outback does not sustain them and is not their native terrain.

I believe that infertility drugs is the right method of control and that shooting from helicopters is inhumane. Control is definitely necessary though.

[Gromit]

The horse isn't indiginous to Australia, it was introduced by the Europeans just a few centuries ago. The fear is that it is ruining the habit of creatures that have always been there.
Hunting with rifles is still widely practised in Australia, unlike the UK where it is done by just a few.

A far more human cull than shooting them from helicopters could be done, but would take the 'sport' elment out of the killing.

I'm sure you would be happy for that to happen, but hunting is considered manly and Australia is a male chauvinistic society.

[babybombo]

Oh right, sorry I didn't know about the horses being brought over.

If they are living in such horrible conditions then a cull would be best but yes, the infertility drugs seem so much more humane.

I see what you mean gromit about the hunting being regarded as manly.
It just astounds me that these men consider themselves this manly when they are armed with a gun and firing ,from miles away, at a horse.
Very manly.

[LoftyLottie]

I agree with Gromit. I found the Australian males to be very trigger happy when it came to animals. They were very keen on shooting cats and dogs that came on their property as well. Wasn't very keen on Australian males at all in fact - they really are chauvinistic - although I believe the younger generation are changing.

[Gromit]

Thank you for your post LoftyLottie.

When I wrote "Australia is a male chauvinistic society" I thought I shouldn't really generalise about a country's people like that. So your first hand confirmation is appreciated.

[jno]

you think hunting and shooting horses is bad? They used to hunt and shoot aboriginals. For fun.

http://www.cwo.com/~lucumi/tasmania.html

[LoftyLottie]

It seems that far too many of them would still like to do so jno. They are still treated as 2nd class citizens. My Australian family are hoping for a change of leadership this month!

[leelapops]

******* ****. I censored myself there, so AB wouldn't have to, but that link made me so mad jno! People really are so inhumane.

I agree with the general leaning of this thread-if they want to cull them then there are humane ways to do it-it's not a game.