A former MP has revealed a new estimate of the brumby population in Kosciuszko National Park a fraction of the official count used by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Former Member for Monaro Peter Cochran’s figure, which he told Ray Hadley had been endorsed by a senior NPWS ranger, puts the wild horse population “somewhere in the vicinity of 1000, or a bit more”.

He accused Environment Minister Matt Kean to have ‘neglected his job’ by failing to protect the brumbies from further culls.

“It’s frustrated the community at a time when we’ve been burnt out – we’ve had bushfires, drought, COVID … and now these people are taking advantage of us in our weakest position.

“Here we are, annihilating what is part of our cultural history.”

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