AN animal rights lawyer is advocating for legislation in Victoria which would recognise the cultural heritage of brumbies and set up a community advisory panel to manage the wild horses.
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Brumby Action Group founder Marilyn Nuske has drawn up a bill addressing those issues and presented it to the Victorian Opposition.
The panel would have six to nine members, including representatives from the Alpine National Park and the Bogong High Plains and others with expertise in animal welfare, tourism and sustainable management of brumbies.
It would then have the task of producing a draft plan to manage brumbies in the national park and "set out how that heritage value and preservation of sustainable brumby populations will be protected" in particular areas.
Ms Nuske is concerned a draft Parks Victoria Feral Horse Action Plan will result in brumbies being shot, rather than rehomed, to limit numbers.
"(Our plan) doesn't mean to say none would ever be removed or could be removed and rehomed, but it's about none of this hysterical 'let's get up to the hills boys and sniper shoot these horses'," Ms Nuske said.
"We don't want brumbies shot, we want brumbies managed with sustainable legislation."
IN OTHER NEWS:
The final action plan is expected to be released next month.
"All submissions to the draft plan are being independently analysed and will be considered in finalising the Feral Horse Action Plan 2021, which will be submitted to the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change for review," a Parks Victoria spokesperson said.
The minister Lily D'Ambrosio declined to answer Border Mail questions, deferring to Parks Victoria.
Opposition MP Wendy Lovell said she had passed Ms Nuske's plan to the Coalition's environment spokeswoman Bridget Vallence for consideration.
"The Labor Party need to explain why they're so focussed on eradicating brumbies rather than the feral deer and feral pigs," Ms Lovell said.
Speakers include enviro scientist Karren Summers, Snowy Mountains Brumby Registry president Mel Rowe, Mountain Brumby Sanctuary volunteer Gabriel Black and Barmah brumbies campaigner Renee Neubauer.
