Action Archive - June 2004
The Department Of Conservation & the Kaimanawa Wild Horse Advisory Group had decided that 22 horses residing in "no-go" zones in the Moawhango region of the Kaimanawa Ranges, were to be shot from helicopters. These horses had been resident in this area for many years & were presumed to be "left-overs" from the 1997 muster or horses that had strayed from neighbouring Maori owned land. Their population had not increased during this time.
It had previously been agreed during numerous Advisory Group discussions, that due to the fact that the NZ Army refused to allow neighbouring land owners to fence their properties, the Army would push any "trespassing" horses back onto private land during their monthly boundary checks. They have failed to do this & were wanting the horses to be slaughtered by "shooters" in helicopters. The Advisory Group & the Department of Conservation were insisting that this method of removal is humane & having considered the options of mustering, netting or shooting, had decided that this was the most appropriate course of action.
KWHWT Inc. received an overwhelming response from the public on the proposed shooting. An on-line petition was instigated, receiving over 200 signatures in the first two days & many people sent letters & emails to DoC & the Minister of Conservation to voice their opposition.
Your strong support appeared to have some effect & despite reply letters from the Minister supporting the shooting, DoC & the Kaimanawa Wild Horse Advisory Group finally agreed to muster these horses at the same time as the annual muster in the Horse Management Area. There was a compromise though; older horses & those in remote areas would possibly be shot by ground shooters rather than aerial marksmen.
It is a fact that not all horses can be re-homed & some of the older horses do not adjust well to life in captivity. Although the thought of horses being shot is distressing, this is a preferable option to the stress & terror of being mustered into yards, herded onto frightening trucks & transported to slaughterhorses that reek of death.
The majority of younger horses in these small northern bands were successfully re-homed. We trust those who have given these horses a second chance will make it worthwhile for them by providing them with the best possible homes & always remembering how priveleged they are to be accepted into the "herd".
It is disheartening to note that aerial shooting is to remain a recommended "humane" option for the removal of horses in the Kaimanawa Wild Horse Management Plan for 2004 - 2009.
It is the responsibility of human caretakers of these creatures to ensure that where no alternative is available, the demise of any horse is as quick & painless as possible. We don't believe that aerial shooting can offer such assurances.
We will continue to campaign against aerial shooting of Kaimanawa horses as a possible "removal" option until such time as it is removed from the Kaimanawa Wild Horse Management Plan.
Please sign our petition to demonstrate your opposition to aerial shooting of horses.
Is aerial shooting humane?
Aerial shooting of horses is to remain an option in the Kaimanawa Wild Horse Management Plan as a humane method of "removing" horses despite known public disapproval.
Check out these links below but please be warned, these are VERY graphic & not recommended for young viewers...
