Palomino stallion Matagi, one of Kosciuszko National Park’s most recognisable wild horses, was found shot dead near Sawyers Hill in late June. Photo: Michelle J.
July 23, 2:40 pm: NSW Police have since confirmed bullets recovered during the investigation were not the same as those used in NPWS aerial and ground-shooting operations targeting wild horses.
“Inquiries continue by officers from Monaro Police District following the discovery of two dead horses in Kosciuszko National Park,” the Police Media Unit said.
Police declined to provide further details while the matter remained under investigation.
17 July, 3:15 pm: A NSW Police investigation remains ongoing into the shooting deaths of two wild horses in Kosciuszko National Park (KNP), including the well-known palomino stallion Matagi.
The horses, or brumbies, were discovered near the bottom of Sawyers Hill, close to the Snowy Mountains Highway, in late June, about a week before news of their deaths became public.
The discovery came while authorised feral animal control operations were under way elsewhere in the park, raising immediate questions about whether the deaths were connected to the NSW Government culling program.
However, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has categorically ruled out any connection to its authorised operations.
“These horses were not shot by NPWS,” a spokesperson said this week.
“The deaths were not part of any authorised NPWS control program. The carcasses were found outside the designated area for NPWS control of feral animals including deer, horses and pigs.”
Brumby advocates have said Matagi lived within a designated retention area, but NPWS has not confirmed whether the animals were found in one of the areas established under the Kosciuszko National Park Wild Horse Heritage Management Plan (WHHMP).
Retention areas are parts of KNP where a reduced wild horse population will remain after numbers are brought down to the legislated target of 3000 by 30 June 2027.
They are intended to preserve populations representing the park’s recognised wild horse heritage, including the Kiandra greys, Currango and Long Plain roans and bays, Cascade horses and Byadbo and Pilot horses.
The areas were selected for their links to the Snowy Mountains’ pastoral history, traditional brumby-running practices and local stories, and are separate from the operational zones used for particular feral animal control programs.
Matagi had been photographed in the Snowy Mountains for more than a decade and had become one of the park’s most recognisable wild horses.
Brumby advocates described him as a largely solitary stallion that generally remained in the higher country, away from the road, and said he was the last mature palomino stallion they knew of in KNP.
He was found alongside a young black mare believed to be his daughter, a filly approaching two years of age.
The identity of the mystery shooter and the circumstances surrounding the deaths remain unknown.
NPWS has also rejected reports that either the agency or NSW Environment minister Penny Sharpe blamed poachers for the deaths.
The agency said it had made no such suggestion and encouraged people to rely on confirmed information from official sources.
Police have not identified a suspect or released details about the firearm involved or whether evidence was recovered from the scene.
There have also been reports that Matagi’s carcass may have been disturbed after his death, although police have not publicly commented on those claims.
The Animal Justice Party has supported a full investigation into the deaths and called for anyone found to have broken the law to be held accountable.
The shootings come amid a continuing legal and political battle over the government’s wild horse control program.
The authorised feral animal control program in the northern and central sections of KNP ran from 9 to 30 June, while the southern operation ran from 29 June to 11 July.
Although those scheduled operations have ended, NPWS said wild horse management would continue under the WHHMP until an updated KNP Plan of Management is introduced in 2027.
Trapping and rehoming will continue throughout 2026 where suitable homes are available, while approved methods including ground and aerial shooting may also be used to reduce the population towards, but not beyond, the target of 3000.
Aerial shooting was added to the approved control methods in 2023.
On 9 July, the NSW Land and Environment Court refused an urgent application by brumby advocates Matthew Holland and Roxanne Phoenix to suspend aerial and ground shooting while their broader legal challenge proceeds.
The decision did not end the case, which remained before the court and was due to return for a directions hearing on 17 July.
The campaign has also reached NSW Parliament, where Animal Justice Party MP Emma Hurst successfully moved for the production of government documents relating to wild horse management in KNP.
Campaigners have also used petitions to call for aerial shooting to be suspended.
NPWS says strong scientific evidence shows wild horses damage fragile alpine and subalpine environments through grazing, trampling and erosion and destroy habitat used by threatened species.
Brumby advocates dispute aspects of the population estimates used to support the program and argue greater emphasis should be placed on trapping, rehoming and fertility control.
Anyone with information about the shootings is urged to contact Monaro Police District or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Original Article published by Edwina Mason on About Regional.
