Brumby
A brumby is a feral horse in Australia. They are found in many areas around the country, but the best-known brumbies are found in the Australian Alps region in south-eastern Australia. Today, most of them are found in the Northern Territory and Queensland. A group of Brumbies is known as a "mob" or "band".
 A brumby caught in what is now Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. It was then trained as a riding horse. | |
| Country of origin | Australia |
|---|---|
| Horse (Equus ferus caballus) | |
Brumbies are the descendants of horses that escaped or were lost many years ago. In some cases, they descend from the horses that belonged to the early European settlers. They had brought horses from South Africa, Indonesia, Great Britain, as well as many thoroughbreds and Arabians.
Today brumbies live in many places, including some national parks. Sometimes they are captured and domesticated. Most are then used as working horses on farms or stations. Some may be used as riding horses or show horses.[1]
Brumbies are regarded as pests by environmentalists and the government. They are considered a threat to native ecosystems.[2] There are several programmes to eradicate (kill) all feral horses across Australia.[3] However, there are also many people working to stop this, as brumbies are also valued by many as part of Australia's history.[4] The Brumby also might get its name from James Brumby, a horse breeder.
Brumby Media
A brumby that was caught in the Apsley River Gorge.
Brumbies grazing on Alpine Way near Dead Horse Gap
Brumbies, Kakadu National Park
Brumbies awaiting their sale and new homes.
Brumbies on the Chandler River, Oxley Wild Rivers National Park.
References
- ↑ Dobbie, W. R., Berman, D. M., & Braysher, M. L. (1993). Managing Vertebrate Pests: Feral horses. Canberra: Australia Government Publishing Service.
- ↑ Holland, Malcolm (15 March 2010). Guns cocked as brumbies run wild. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/guns-cocked-as-brumbies-run-wild/story-e6frf7jo-1225841125272. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
- ↑ Kosciuszko National Park Horse Management Plan (PDF). NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Environment and Climate Change, NSW Government. December 2008. ISBN 978-1-74122-831-1. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
- ↑ Foster, Helen and Digby (2010). "The Guy Fawkes Heritage Horse Association Inc". Dorrigo, NSW: self. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
Other websites
- Australian Brumby Alliance
- Brumby Watch Archived 2005-05-09 at Archive.today
- National Parks Wild Horse Control Archived 2009-12-02 at the Wayback Machine