Up to 600 brumbies will be shot or trapped in Barmah Forest in the state’s far north under a plan unveiled by Parks Victoria.

The proposed cull in Barmah National Park on the Murray River is likely to infuriate some locals and wild horse advocates who have vigorously opposed plans to eradicate the animals, which they say are crucial to the region’s heritage.

Up to 600 of the 700 feral horses in Barmah Forest will be shot, or trapped and relocated. Credit:Parks Victoria

But Parks Victoria says the feral horses are an introduced pest that is destroying an internationally significant wetland, and has to go.

The release of the draft plan on Friday brings the confrontation to a flashpoint. If the plan is approved, 600 of the 700 horses living in the park will be shot, or trapped and “rehomed”, in the next four years.