The NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean announced last week that about 4000 brumbies would be removed from three areas in the Kosciuszko National Park.
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According to Andrew Cox of the Invasive Species Council, Mr Kean supported by John Barilaro has backed a plan developed by the community panel and the scientific panel to put in place immediate measures to clear feral horses from some of the most sensitive areas of the park.
"The park's feral horse population, estimated to be about 20,000 in early 2019, appears relatively unscathed from the fires," Mr Cox said.
However, Peter Cochran, operator of Cochran Horse Treks, told 2GB's Micheal McLaren that the minister was being fed misinformation.
"Matt Kean proposes to take 4000 horses out of the three areas, but they are simply not there," he said.
Mr Cochran disputed the brumby count saying there were only about 1100 brumbies in the national park as opposed to the most recent claim of 25,000.
"I ride through this area extensively and the horses are not there.
"I know the horses, there are not 25,000 horses up there, if they were they would be shoulder to shoulder," he said.
Mr Cochran went on to say the brumbies kept fuel levels down.
"Look at the areas where the greatest concentration of brumbies are and you will find that this is the area least damaged by far," he said.
Jamie Pittock, professor at Australian National University's Fenner School of Environment and Society, said he saw extensive areas incinerated by bushfires and the habitat of four of the park's most threatened animal species degraded by fire and feral horses when he flew over the park recently.
He claimed that feral horses are moving en masse into unburnt areas and massively compounding the damage already inflicted on the park by the bushfires.
"If we don't immediately reduce feral horse number the consequences for Kosciuszko National Park and its unique Australian native animals will be horrendous," he said.