How to protest about feral horses – on your feet
Pounds Creek, Kosciuszko National Park, photo by M Bremers
In June, the NSW Parliament passed the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act 2018. It gives an introduced species greater protection than native animals in Kosciuszko National Park – a disturbing precedent. With BNSW’s support, some member clubs have responded by setting up a new organization, Save Kosci Inc, to run a protest walk from Sydney to the summit of Kosciuszko.
The walk will take about 35 days, including rest days, from 3rd November to mid-December 2018. The main group of walkers will follow a mixture of major and secondary roads, via Camden, Mittagong, Goulburn, Canberra, Jindabyne and Charlotte Pass. The exact route is being surveyed now, looking at the walkability of the road verges and the availability of budget accommodation or camping en route.
Water source, crossing point, Bill Jones Hut Mar 2014
In addition to getting the Horse Heritage Act repealed, the aims of the walk are to:
- Support a range of methods to control feral horses in NSW national parks, including ground-based lethal culling, under ranger supervision and according to RSPCA guidelines
- Implement the NPWS Draft Wild Horse Management Plan of 2016
- Protect the habitat of the broad-toothed mouse, corroboree frog and other native species affected by horses and other feral animals.
Save Kosci Inc is looking for these kinds of helpers:
- End-to-end walkers
- Section walkers – from a couple of hours to a couple of weeks
- Support vehicle drivers and other non-walking helpers – from a day or two upwards; people with campervans, here is your chance to do a road trip for a Good Cause!
- People to lead a walk for their club to the summit of Kosciuszko, from any direction, timed to arrive at the summit with the main walk (probably midday 8th or 9th December, to be confirmed)
- Desk-based helpers, to do one-off research and writing tasks
- People to sew banners
- Photographers to record the walk, especially the first and last days, or to visit KNP to get close-ups of feral horses eating, drinking, trampling etc in KNP
Water source, crossing point, Bill Jones Hut, May 2018
A new web site for the walk is now running: savekosci.org, with a supporter registration form coming soon. If you are interested, please use that form to register; the form should be available online by late August. Registration costs $12. Inquiries welcome – to convenor@savekosci.org
Linda Groom, Convenor, Save Kosci Inc, 0473 919 441
Photos supplied by Linda Groom
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