Marilyn Nuske was responding to Bill Tilley saying he wanted roping and mustering to be permitted to control brumbies in the Victorian high country.

"I was shocked when I read what Bill Tilley said because you can't do it, it's just not allowed any longer," Ms Nuske said.

"It's dangerous and Parks Victoria won't allow it and most brumby advocates would agree it's a fairly cruel way of running down brumbies.

"It's a pretty wild and woolly method.

"It's not what you would call gentling a brumby at all."

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Mr Tilley argued for roping and mustering on the grounds that the talents of mountain horse riders were being ignored and not valued as a resource to help address brumby numbers.

He was commenting following the Victorian government releasing its latest feral horse management plan for Alpine National Park at the end of last year.

It specifically rules out roping, also known as brumby running, as it "does not comply with the standards for health and safety that can be permitted by Parks Victoria and will therefore not be used as a control method".

The same report notes "83 feral horses were removed by roping from the eastern alps" from 2018 to February last year.

Like Mr Tilley, Ms Nuske was disappointed the new plan endorses aerial culling of brumbies and fails to measure the loss of wild horses in the alps due to the Black Summer bushfires.

The animal rights lawyer said there was a 50 per cent drop in brumbies due to mountain blazes in 2006 and she expects it would be similar following 2019-20.

The state government blamed COVID-19 for delaying a count and expects surveyed numbers to be released later this year.

Ms Nuske said a team had found four dead brumbies shot dead and covered with branches but it was unclear if they were culled or killed by rogue hunters.

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