Brumby Watch Australia - GFRNP - The English Reports ____

Information about the English Reports on Feral Horse Management in national parks
and reserves in New South Wales can be found at
http://www.npws.nsw.gov.au/news/exhibition/english_report/english_report.html
Pdf files can be downloaded.

Report 1: Dated 15 November 2000.
This is about the October 2000 Guy Fawkes River National Park slaughter.
Bob Debus, Minister for the Environment commissioned the so called 'independent review' to examine the
broad protocols and procedures for the culling of feral animals by the NSW National Parks & Wildlife
Service.
The review was carried out by Dr Tony English, Head of the Department of Veterinary Clinical Services,
Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney.
This report contains much misinformation.
The so called 'executive summary' of this report can be downloaded from the web.
This 'executive summary' is a rehash of the report, with much information purposely left out.
Also annexes A, B, C and D are missing.

Report 2: A Management Plan for feral horses in the Guy Fawkes Rivernational Park. Dated 6th
March 2001.
This report was prepared after a workshop meeting held on 10th Feb 2001 with a number of participants
including neighbours to the park, Mr Andrew Fraser the Member for Coffs Harbour, Department of
Agriculture, Rural Lands Protection Board, Australian Equine Veterinary Association, and brumby
advocates etc.
The meeting was little more than a public relations exercise. Some of what came out of the meeting was
merely swept under the carpet and ignored by English in his report.
Alan Jeffery, Regional Manager, North Coast, NPWS made the comment in his address to the workshop
participants that over the long term, NPWS was committed to working with the community to sustain and
improve the values of the park. Working with the community is far from the truth.
English made recommendations on the long-term management of the remaining brumbies in the park.
These included:
a. The establishment of a Heritage Working Party to assess the heritage value of the brumbies.
b. A moratorium on the removal of any brumbies until the Working Party had completed it's study.
c. NPWS continue to evaluate the environmental effectsin the park associated with the remocal of the
brumbies.
d. The removal of any brumbies from the park to be carried out only after consultation with experienced
stockmen, veterinarians and the RSPCA.

Report 3: The management of feral horses in NSW national parks and reserves
This report:
a. Reviewed NPWS feral horse control programmes across the state.
b. Suggested ways to improve wild horse management in national aprks and reserves.
c. Recommended new research to investigate the impact of feral horses on native environments.
d. Recommended a Code of Pracice for capturing and transporting feral horses.