A man who left a decapitated horse’s head on the steps of a government office has revealed his reasons for the disturbing “dramatic” act.
Rocky Harvey shocked onlookers Friday with his gruesome protest against brumby carcasses littering Kosciuszko National Park.
He said he decided to deliver the horse’s head to the doorstep of the National Parks and Wildlife Service office after his complaints went unheard.
The ardent equestrian insists he is not an eco-activist and is more concerned about the health effects of decaying carcasses left near popular tourist campgrounds.
“I don’t agree with the culling management plan in the park, I was never involved in that debate, I disagree with the poor outcome,” he said.
Rocky Harvey (pictured) said he was not an ‘activist’ and carried out the shocking act as a result of ‘poor results’
Mr Harvey expressed concern about leaving behind the carcasses of the culled brumbies lying around Kosciuszko National Park (pictured, horses lying across the snowy plain)
“It’s just not acceptable to leave 67 carcasses lying around a public campground.
“I went and did the right thing, reported it to the EPA, who then referred it to the Wild Horse Management Unit, no response. Penny Sharpe, no answer,’ Mr Harvey said The Sunday Telegraph.
“Maybe this was a bit too dramatic, but the normal ways of getting people into care just got an arrogant zero.”
Frustrated that his social media posts and letters to the authorities had been ignored, Mr Harvey drove to the Jindabyne office and placed the horse’s head at the entrance.
Mr Harvey received a notice from the police for offensive behaviour.
He filmed the incident and shared it on social media, but denies that his actions constituted a threat.
“Isn’t it interesting that one horse’s head in front of a government building causes such an outcry, when there are 67 lying around public campgrounds and no one wants to talk about it or do anything about it?” he said.
The eager rider decapitated one of the slain brumbies and placed the head at the entrance to the National Parks and Wildlife Service office in Jindabyne on Friday (pictured, the horse’s head)
It was quite a dramatic statement, but certainly not threatening. I was polite in my interaction with one of the employees.’
At least 70 wild horses, known as brumbies, have been slaughtered on the vast Snowy Plains in the middle of the National Park.
The brumby cull in Kosciuszko National Park has divided people, with many concerned horses killed while drinking water, then their bodies left in waterways that empty into dams full of water for human consumption.
“The pictures don’t do it justice, walk through it and see the rot. It’s overwhelming,” Mr Harvey added.
Mr Harvey (pictured) was frustrated after receiving no response to his social media posts and letters to authorities
“The carcasses leach poison into this crystal clear water. It’s unacceptable.’
“If you look at the weight, it’s probably equivalent to 300 dead sheep. Imagine the outrage if a farmer had 300 dead sheep lying in public,” he said.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service says the culling is necessary.
A population estimate in 2022 showed 18,000 brumbies roaming freely in the park, although the authorities aim to reduce the number of brumbies to 3,000 by 2027.
“Removal of feral horses will take place in accordance with animal welfare best practice, based on advice from authorities such as the RSPCA,” reads a statement on the website.
He said there were 67 carcasses lying around public camping areas (pictured, horse found shot to death in the national park)
The brumby culling has been a topic of controversy as the National Parks and Wildlife Service aims to reduce the population from 18,000 to 3,000 by 2027 (pictured, shot horse found in the national park)
Mr Harvey compared the visible dead bodies to sheep and said: ‘If a farmer had 300 dead sheep in public, imagine the outcry’ (photo, mare shot in the gut at a waterway in Snowy Plain)
“National Parks and Wildlife Service will continue to prioritize passive trapping and rehoming where it leads to the highest animal welfare outcomes.”
“Where that is not feasible, the draft plan offers a range of other options, including ground shooting under strict conditions that ensure the highest animal welfare standards are met.”