A trial of aerial brumby culling in Kosciuszko National Park has been defended as humane, despite some horses requiring more than a dozen shots to kill them.
The NSW government last month conducted the trial – opposed by brumby activists – which resulted in the killing of 270 feral horses, which authorities blame for damaging endangered species and ecosystems in the park.
The state has a legislated target to cut the brumby population to 3000 by mid-2027. Officials have estimated there are up to 22,500 horses in the park.
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service head Atticus Fleming was quizzed over the trial's "repeat shooting" policy, at a parliamentary inquiry into aerial shooting on Monday.
Horses were shot up to 15 times, while it took an average of more than seven shots to kill the animals.
"I think it is humane," said Fleming, who oversees national parks as the state's acting Environment and Heritage Coordinator-General.
He described the trial results as "outstanding", saying the repeat shooting policy contributed "to a very good welfare outcome".
"It means there are multiple shots to the target area literally within seconds ... that is an important component in ensuring the most rapid death possible," Fleming said.
Advice from the RSPCA and vets backed repeat shooting, which led to an average time to unconsciousness of five seconds during the trial, he said.
Environment Minister Penny Sharpe announced in October the state would return to aerial shooting of brumbies to control population numbers.
The feral horse count in the national park has exploded since then-NSW Nationals leader and deputy premier John Barilaro opposed culls in favour of trapping and rehoming in 2018.
Some forms of culling were reintroduced in 2021 in an effort to bring the population down to a sustainable figure but numbers have continued to increase.
Sharpe conceded aerial culling was controversial but said "the sooner we can get the horses down to a manageable population, the better".
"I think it's the most important thing we can do to look after the park," she told the inquiry.
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