The last of the Barmah brumbies | My two bob’s worth

One: Relationships between Parks Victoria and many Barmah National Park neighbouring landholders and brumby supporters are at a low ebb.

The seeds of the poor relationship were probably sown when the department moved to remove cattle from the forest, thus ending the annual Barmah cattle muster.

The next step, to remove the wild horses, was always going to be problematic, but the situation has not been helped by some people losing their temper and abusing Parks staff.

This has had several results: The opposing sides have retreated to their corners. Parks Victoria has clamped down on what it shares with the public, citing a threat to its staff.

There has been less communication between what you might call, the reasonable protesters (including the ones who could help rehome the brumbies) and Parks Victoria.

Some people who reject the newer management protocols, have taken to ignoring park regulations. No-one carrying out their job should feel unsafe.

The poor relationships feeds a narrative that the whole process is being managed from offices in Melbourne and the community is being ignored.

Two: The practices adopted by Parks Victoria in its plan to cull feral horses from Barmah include several which have surprised me.

While great care has been taken to protect Parks Victoria staff in the shooting campaign, (and there is evidence of meticulous safety precautions), the department has not shut down the park while shooting takes place.

When you are using high powered weapons in an open park, there are surely some safety considerations for the public.

The policy of simply dropping the horses where they stand and letting the bodies rot on the forest floor, is a shocking end for these animals.

I doubt farmers would be allowed to dump dead animals in these numbers in public places. Why is a government department allowed to?

Three: Parks Victoria has failed to adequately engage the Barmah Brumby Preservation Group.

The group has pledged to rehome the brumbies on a purpose built sanctuary, and also offered to trap them, something Parks Victoria has not been able to achieve.

While working with a volunteer group might have been complex and challenging, the results could have been worth it, and relationships with the brumby community might have improved.

Four: Parks Victoria has maintained that feral horses are the same as other feral animals which damage the parks environment and should be removed.

In the long-term this was always going to happen. However, there is a distinct difference between shooting brumbies, and shooting rabbits, foxes and pigs.

Horses do have an historical connection to the Barmah bush and there is an emotional connection with the people who have visited and lived near Barmah.

The American mustang is an introduced horse in north America, but In 1971, the United States Congress recognised that "wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West, which continue to contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people."

The wild horse population is protected by the US Bureau of Land Management.

Seeking purity in the species roaming our national parks is a noble goal, but difficult to attain.