Australia’s Brumby Horses

Climate Change and the Future of Australia’s Brumby Horses

BY MARIA LEUZINGER

In May of 1787, seven horses set sail on a voyage from Portsmouth, England to Botany Bay in New South Wales, Australia. Aboard 11 settler ships known as the First Fleet, these horses included hardy working breeds such as Clydesdales and other draft horses. After eight months at sea, the horses landed in mid-January of 1788, and would later become some of the first ancestors to the invasive and feral Australian horses now known as brumbies (1). These horses are thought to have belonged to James Brumby, a farrier who often let his horses roam freely in New South Wales. The horses allowed early settlers to explore large swaths of Australia’s terrain, and later played important roles in the First and Second World Wars. Brumbies have since come to symbolize Australian values, and while the red Kangaroo holds tight to the prestigious title of Australia’s national animal, the brumbies are a close contender. They even have a professional rugby team named after them. But despite what their endearing nickname might suggest, these rugged equines have wreaked extensive havoc on native Australian species and ecosystems, and the damage they cause is only being further exacerbated by climate change. Surprisingly, many invasive species will initially benefit from rising temperatures and extreme weather patterns spurred on by climate change. Natural disasters weaken local ecosystems and decrease food competition for invasive species. Because they lack natural predators, and do not fulfill a specific ecological role, the populations of invasive species often go unchecked. They are able to wipe out food sources before native animals can rebound. In turn, the damage they cause will worsen the effects of climate change in those already fragile ecosystems. This is painfully evident in the case of the recent Australian wildfires and the invasive brumby horses. The Australian fires originated in New South Wales and, since their beginning in November of 2019, have decimated an estimated sixteen million acres of land and killed millions of animals (2). Australia has no native hoofed animals and as such its landscape never adapted to endure the horses’ hard hooves. Brumbies, as well as invasive deer and goats, are able to tread over scorched land to reach food that animals with vulnerable padded feet cannot. This process also makes the land more susceptible to future wildfires as vegetation is never given the chance to regrow. “When [ecosystems] have a really massive disturbance,” says Andrew Cox at the Australian Invasive Species Council, “all of sudden they tip over into a different kind of ecosystem and you end up with species that can tolerate the constant fire, the constant drought, the constant disturbance from development” (3). Climate change and brumby horses are altering Australia’s landscape faster than it can keep up. In the southernmost mountainous regions of New South Wales lies Kosciuszko National Park, home to many endangered plant and animal species. The fires forced brumbies into the alpine regions of Kosciuszko at much larger concentrations than would be typical. Here, they contribute to the loss of alpine moss and peat, pushing species like the water skink closer to the brink of extinction. These scaly critters require tall, thick grasses to hide from predators and regulate their body temperature, and with more brumbies to graze and trample their protective grasses, they now face a much longer road to recovery (4). Likewise, the poisonous corroboree frog, with its distinctive yellow and black splotches, lives around rivers and small streams in the mountains. As the brumbies erode the banks of these alpine streams, their urine causes the water pH levels to fall, killing the frogs (5). Although the ecological harm caused by brumby horses is not under question, just how to tackle the issue remains a hot topic between policy makers, ecologists, and animal rights activists. Even the subtle usage of “feral” versus “wild” can indicate where a group’s values lie. Some consider them a pest, others as an embodiment of the Australian spirit. Small amphibians, rodents, reptiles, and insects do not typically garner the admiration given to brumbies, despite forming the foundation of Australia’s ecosystems. In his op-ed “The Alarming Allure of Australia’s Brumbies,” A. Odysseus Patrik states: “Safeguarding a nation’s cultural heritage is as important as protecting its environmental heritage. But a fantasy, however appealing, should not be allowed to outweigh good science.”

After the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Bill passed in 2018, allowing brumbies to remain in Kosciuszko National Park, environmental scientists feared the alpine landscape would never be given an opportunity to recover. Many scientists believe that non-lethal forms of culling, such as sterilization or relocation, will not be sufficient to harness the steadily increasing brumby population. The bill even prompted one “The environment is being sacrificed for a national myth… The cultural bias for brumbies has helped the tourism industry — reinforced by anti-scientific sentiment among rural communities — to successfully lobby government officials to end an annual culling of the horses. Safeguarding a nation’s cultural heritage is as important as protecting its environmental heritage. But a fantasy, however appealing, should not be allowed to outweigh good science” (6).

ecology professor to resign from his chair on the New South Wale government’s threatened species scientific committee, saying he could “no longer continue to justify committing [his] time, energy and professional insight” (7). However, groups such as the Hunter Valley Brumby Association believe that a sustainable brumby population in Kosciuszko National Park is feasible, and advocate the trapping and private adoption of brumbies from the park (8). It remains uncertain whether this strategy could decrease the brumby population fast enough before reaching an ecological tipping point, after which species such as the water skink and corroboree frog may never bounce back.

As with most climate-related issues, the challenges presented by Australian brumbies are not solely climate issues. Rather, this ecological dilemma intersects with public policy, ethics, national values, and even economics. Addressing this issue will require a willingness to consider opinions other than our own, and finding a solution that satisfies everyone while still protecting the environment will be no easy feat. But by doing so, perhaps we can find ways to rein in our own environmental impacts before time runs out.

Photo by Australian Alps on Flickr

ABOVE: Frog in Kosciuszko National Park