kath massey, hunter valley brumby association, foals, defence, singleton army base

There are growing calls for aerial shooting to be taken off the table as a way to cull a herd of wild ponies living in the Singleton military area. Animal welfare groups, politicians and the community are lobbying the federal government to find a better way to manage the situation. Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon and Defence Minister Christopher Pyne’s offices have been inundated with calls from unhappy voters this week. It comes after Hunter Valley Brumby Association was tipped off about the aerial cull and told it had been scheduled for December 18 and 19. Read more: Community rallies around orphaned foals The Department of Defence says there is not enough feed and water to sustain the 100 to 150 ponies that are living on the Singleton Training Area and aerial control is "a last resort option to ensure training activities are not impacted" and range users and the public remain safe. Defence blamed the drought for the poor conditions, saying it unsuccessfully attempted to re-home the herd in 2014 and feral animal control was part of its land management activities. "Ground shooting had limited success due to the inaccessible location of the herd," a spokeswoman said. "The feral horses pose a risk to members of the public as the horses can access public roads in search of food and water, and impact training activities on the range." Aerial shooting is conducted under strict guidelines and shots are aimed at the head or chest, according to the NSW Department of Primary Industries. Defence said land management activities followed strict Defence guidelines in accordance with relevant legislation, regulations and codes of practice. Mr Fitzgibbon, who was still waiting for a briefing from Mr Pyne's office on Wednesday afternoon, said the community concern was understandable. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said aerial shooting was inaccurate and inhumane. "As with any method of wildlife slaughter, families are torn apart, with foals – unable to keep pace with their terrified mothers – orphaned and left vulnerable to starvation, dehydration, and attacks by other animals," a spokeswoman said. NSW MLC Mark Pearson, an Animal Justice Party member, also condemned aerial culling. His office said Defence had not returned their calls and they would turn up at the department's Canberra base if necessary. A spokesman for Mr Pearson said the government should be dropping feed to the ponies and considering a different approach. Defence said any affected foals would be offered to the association for re-homing. Ms Massey has taken in three foals from the base this year and relies on donations to pay for their food and medical treatment until they can be re-homed. She said the ponies grew to about 1.2 metres tall and had been living on the land since the 1930s. It is believed they are descendants of a Welsh mountain pony that was imported into Australia in the late 1800s.

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