THE LATEST NEWS FROM WESTERN AUSTRALIA
WILD HORSES KIMBERLEY NEWSLETTER – MARCH 2011
(WHK is a sub-committee of Kimberley Environmental Horticulture Inc. www.plantbroome.com)
A final decision from the WA Government is soon to be made on the future of Lake Gregory and the wild Arab type horses living there.
The decision will be made by Minister for Indigenous Affairs, now The Hon. Peter Collier with input from the Aboriginal Lands Trust (part of DIA) which holds the
lease, the Pastoral Lands Board (part of Dept. for Regional Affairs and Land; Minister
Brendan Grylls) and Dept. for Agriculture (DAFWA)Minister Terry Redman.
We will be attending a meeting in Broome next Friday (18 March) to discuss the horses
with members of the above departments.
Minister Dr Kim Hames flew over Lake Gregory in December and did a count of horses
there. His total was 700. This is of course the reality and we thank him for taking the time to investigate for the horses. As we suspected all previous numbers given out by truckies, musterers and pastoralists were inflated with the hidden agenda of hopes for a cull. If anything the numbers have decreased, some horses having moved away up the
Sturt Creek towards the NT source. Dr Kim Hames met with us in December and agreed
that 700 horses could remain at Lake Gregory and that we would find sponsors for some
of them to help pay for their upkeep and care.
We also agreed that an annual muster of up to 50 young fit horses could be done to
remove and to re-home them and that transport costs would be paid for by government. Our group would screen potential new owners.
The Bonrook Brumby Sanctuary also agreed to take a truckload of older horses. Our group offered to employ a Vet to geld several stallions to be kept in the home paddock and trained for riding using natural horsemanship methods. We are also investigating the possibility of using the infertility drug Pzp on mares in groups of 2-300.
However, we have also heard that up to 7,000 cattle may be released on to the areas
of Lake Gregory (Bililuna and Mulan), even though this will damage the lake environment and the future of cattle exports and prices is uncertain.
By contrast recent research has proven that wild horses improve the land.(see attached doc.)
WHK has put together a plan which we see as being a way forward.
Our plan envisages preservation of the lake as well as management of the horses.
We hope to interest Eco tourism companies to invest in the area using the horses,
remarkable birdlife, Walmajarri history and culture and the lake as tourist attractions.
To this end we have made a short film on disc which we are sending out to people
along with our plan, in the hope that they will respond. (see our website).
Individual sponsors are now also supporting a horse of their own.
We are uncertain of how the meeting this Friday will go but will let all our supporters know the results and of any action required to save the horses if the outcome is for a cull.
One good thing tho’! There has been so much rain out at the lake that the horses are
dispersed, roads are closed and they are safe for the next few weeks at least!
Libby Lovegrove
Co-ordinator
Sponsorship
$12.50 per week
( or $50 per month)
Choose your horse on our website at
ANIMAL CRUELTY ISSUES PRESENTED IN PARLIAMENT WEDNESDAY 23/02/2011
MS L L BAKER
INTERESTING READ AT LEAST WE KNOW THE GOVERNMENT ARE AWARE OF THE ISSUES Now its a matter of forcing the hand
THE SAGA CONTINUES IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA AND WHO WILL TAKE THE STAND TO END THIS MADNESS
02/03/2011
Once again sadness marks the reality of our country. When does it become right and accepted for a license to make cruelty okay??
I have pasted these two articles for one reason only how can a Government condemn a practice it accepts if you have their permission. These are such hypocritical statements . "We can slaughter your Heritage and waste the lives of western Australias wild horses"" but!!" hell dont you do it" or you will be hunted and charged .
Wake up Australia bring our brumbies of the Feral pest register and list them under heritage and manage them for the future Australians who may respect the deeds of our Ancestors.
Lynne
THE ARABIAN BRUMBIES OF LAKE GREGORY WESTERN AUSTRALIA
THE CRISIS
BREAKING NEWS
10/02/2011
I have just found this Article and do not know whom the Author is will follow up on this information and have the story soon
cheers Lynne
SOME SHOCKING NEWS about what has happened near Prenti Downs recently...post below is from someone central to the issue who was trying to save them.
...about 4/5 weeks ago approx. some 400 of the Prenti Downs horses were shot. on the property Winnditti (spelling may be wrong ) this property is next to
or close to Prenti. I am also led to believe they were shot by the
previous manager of Prenti Downs. Evidently when he was the manager
there last year he put in for the contract to do the culling and I am
led to beleive that is what happened. So in the last 2 years some
660 of these horses have been shot.
I wonder what the Waler society will say about this as they -in their arguement against (people) wanting to drove them to NSW- they claimed that these horses were not under threat. Now thanks to their efforts and some of their followers we
are now going to suffer this loss. Makes me wonder what their real intention is/or was. At least with us droving them- they had a far
better chance of staying alive than what they gave them.
And didnt I read somewhere in the society's constitution -"to
preserve and ensure the survival of the Waler".
Mmmmm...with their help we could of done this (saved them), however maybe some of you could ask a simple WHY.
---end of quote. from Sunny Bullen
06/01/2011
Latest News;
Wild Horses Kimberley was recently told that an application had been put to the Pastoral Lands Board in WA to change the lease at Lake Gregory (ie. The Tjurabalin Pastoral Co. comprised of Bililuna and Lake Gregory) to enable the wild horses to remain in their natural environment at the lake as stock. Our response was to request that, should this be approved we would help to find sponsors to pay for the management of the horses, employ a horse specialist to care for the horses and assist in training the local communities in natural horsemanship. We would also like to see a yearly muster of horses to apply Pzp infertility drug to mares and to remove, geld and rehome young stallions, all designed to keep the numbers of horses from escalating. In this way we would help with the overall care of the horses. Our members would also be allowed to visit and photograph the horses and receive a newsletter on their situation.
For now we await the decision of the PLB and the new Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Mr Peter Collier as to whether our five years of effort to save these magnificent horses has been successful. Thank you to everyone all over the world who has helped us in this long and desperate drawn out battle. Libby Lovegrove Coordinator Wild Horses Kimberley
EARLIER IN 2010 THE ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY OF MULAN WERE GIVEN AND ULTIMATUM FROM THE PASTORAL CO REMOVE THE WILD ARABIAN HORSES FROM LAKE GREGORY OR THEY WILL BE ROUNDED UP AND SENT 6000 KILOMETRES TO SLAUGHTER. AND HENCE THE STORY UNFOLDED
18/12/2010
The massive task of rescue will begin in 2011 around march we will keep you updated with issues that may arise and also info on how to become involved in this historical event as soon as possible Stay Tuned
WE WILL START THE STORY HERE
The year of 2010 saw a lot of Australian Heritage horses loose their lives due to aerial culling and transport to slaughter by the well meaning leaders of our country and states.
Brumby Rescues around the country have been working for ten years in co-operation with government and its departments which has really lead to the fact that a very few horses have been saved when one looks at the broader scale .
In defence and support of these organisations i must say they have had very little support from the Australian citizens and absolutely no funding from the government to preserve the horses they have saved, but rather had to rely on moneys raised from donations and fundraisng , a truely sad state for them to be left in.
Our group have been tagged as radical and have been shuned by many but still our work has continued our belief that transperency and honesty for the Australian people is of the utmost importance. hence we do our campaigning in the eyes of all.
This article however is for the sole trooper who at no stage ever agreed to end the lives of these horses in lake gregory at any stage but pressed on with ridicule and rejection her reward. I am not martyr building here but being factual as to the struggle this woman has faced and the strain of fear she has endured for the past year in fighting to have us realise the asset that was to be discarded without thought.
We today find this trooper has brought us to a position with these horses that united we can save our Heritage for future generations it is time we all step up to the challenge at hand and follow the footsteps to assist in the historic rescue this will be.
I am asking all Australian citizens to do what ever they can to support Libby Lovegrove of wildhorseskimberleys in any way they can. if you can donate money or time, if your struggling to make ends meet in this tough world then write a letter requestting help from people in business or airlines to support with travel for the volunteers to go to WA and help.
send Donations to Libby and be a part of this historic event and be proud to tell your children and their children how you supported the saving of our once respected Icons for for the world to see that Australians have respect and heart for the values of their fallen in settlement and war
regards to everyone
Lynette Sutton
a response from Mr Kim Hames RE the Arabian Brumbies of the Kimberleys
This Kind of event only happens after sheer Dedication to ones beliefs and holding on to them Hoofs2010 Inc Salute
Libby Lovegrove
on her efforts
Date: Friday, 03 December 2010
Inquiry from:
...
Re: Lake Gregory Horses
Response from: Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Dr Kim Hames
Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Dr Kim Hames, said a visit to Mulan community at Lake Gregory in the Kimberley had confirmed his view a mass aerial cull was not an appropriate way to reduce the number of horses in the region.
Dr Hames held a community meeting at Mulan where concerns were raised regarding the welfare of the animals in the event of an aerial shoot, and also the likelihood of horses being left to die in the area.
“It became very clear during our consultation the members of the Mulan community wish to save as many of these horses as possible. As a result, we will muster a big group of the horses next year and the best will be retained in the Kimberley to be owned and trained by the Indigenous community,” Dr Hames said.
An aerial survey conducted by the Department of Indigenous Affairs and horse mustering expert Max Nunn earlier this week confirmed there were about 2000 horses living near to Lake Gregory. The total number of horses on the pastoral lease was likely to be about 4000.
“I hope the remainder of the horses in good health and of a suitable age to train will be offered to members of WA’s – and Australia’s – horse community. The interest group Wild Horses Kimberley has offered to assist in coordinating the re-homing of as many horses as possible, and also collecting donations to assist in the agistment and keep of those horses.”
Dr Hames said the agreement with Wild Horses Kimberley was struck during a meeting in Broome with group founder Libby Lovegrove.
“I was impressed with the enthusiasm and common-sense approach taken by Wild Horses Kimberley to the horses of Lake Gregory,” Dr Hames said.
Dr Hames said unfortunately, some animals would still need to be humanely destroyed, due to age, injury or in-breeding.
“The aerial survey revealed a number of animals will still need to be humanely destroyed.
“I envisage these animals will be transport in small batches in compliance with animal welfare rules and trucked to the nearest suitable abattoir, with sufficient rest-breaks en-route.”
“My advice is that some weeks of calming will allow wild horses to be transported safely and humanely, as is done around WA and the country every week.”
“Our aim is not to make money from this venture, but to save as many Kimberley horses as we can and humanely destroy of those we cannot find a new home for.”
The first muster is likely to start early in the 2011 dry season, however planning has already started to prepare yards and watering points for the horses.
“One of the key things I hope to achieve from this muster is to ensure the people of Mulan are left with some infrastructure to help turn this pastoral lease into a viable business,” Dr Hames said.
The project will be funded by the Aboriginal Lands Trust. Costings are still being established.
Media Contact: Peta Rule
Telephone (08) 9222 8873
