Introduction  My name is Lyall Sempf. I study brumbies and their habits. I am writing a book on my findings and those findings of other people I have contacted. I have studied brumbies for many years. The brumby is Australia's wild horse. I have been studying brumbies in the Guy Fawkes River National Park, New South Wales, Australia, from time to time.

In late October of last year hundreds of brumbies were slaughtered in this park by the government department  known as the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service ( NSW NPWS ) I am writing to ask for your help.

No money is required, just a small amount of your time to protest to those responsible, two government ministers and possibly the Australian Embassy in your country.

I am sending emails out to literally hundreds and hundreds of animal welfare groups and contacts  world wide.  I thank God for the internet.  I don't belong to any animal welfare group. I have been so sickened by the event of last October that I felt compelled to do the web and email search required to do this mammoth task of sending out so many emails. I will be sending out emails every night for a couple of months.

The story 
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Hundreds of brumbies were shot from the air over a few days by three gunmen in helicopters. Due to the nature of the terrain being rough and covered with trees, this slaughter of the brumbies resulted in more than one bullet being needed for many of the horses. One  unfortunate horse was found with eleven bullet holes in him. The day after the slaughter had ceased an aquaintance of mine found horses still alive and dying an agonising and painful death.

This aquaintance of mine also told me that he found bullet holes in the brumbies in   every possible part of the body - the head, neck, withers, shoulder, chest, back, stomach, rump and legs. When I was in the park a few weeks ago I found a stallion with a bad lameness n his front left leg. I was unable to get close enough though to see whether it was a natural wound or a bullet wound. I will have to go back again and find him.

I spoke with one of the Park Rangers in January 1998 while in the National Park. He is the one who was partly responsible for the organisation of the slaughter, and he was   one of the three who fired the bullets.  I never advised him at the time why I was in the park. The discussion of brumby culling  was brought up when one of my friends talked about the brumbies in the park. He told my friend and myself that the National Parks and Wildlife Service were scared to shoot the brumbies due to fear of public opinion. This slaughter went ahead in October secretly with no advice given to, or consultation sought from the Australian public or Animal Welfare Groups. When the slaughter was discovered, one of the  claims of  the NSW NPWS was that the brumbies were starving and dying from lack of food in the park due to bush fires that had gone through the park. There were bush fires in the park, but the brumbies were well and had shiny coats as can  be verified by photos. 

The slaughter was carried out quickly, in fact so quickly that a proper check wasn't done to ensure that people weren't in the park during the slaughter. The famous National Horse Trail goes through this park. Two ladies from New South Wales rode their horses right into the slaughter zone. They were quickly advised to leave the park and were told that the riflemen were shooting feral goats and pigs.  Estimated numbers of remaining brumbies has been put at about 45. I have seen  10 alive, and signs of about another 10 in the area in which I searched a few weeks ago.

The well respected Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ( R.S.P.C.A.) has laid legal charges against the National Parks and Wildlife Service. They have a good case, but as they are fighting the government, it will be difficult. If the government does win the court case, it will be a hollow win in the eyes of many Australians.

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What to Do  Can you please help.
1.  Contact the Australian   (:R.S.P.C.A.) Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, New South Wales Headquarters to confirm what I am saying is true. Get the facts from them.   email:  rspcansw@ozemail.com.au

2.  Let your protest be known to New South Wales Government ministers, and the government department New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service who were responsible the slaughter. 

National Parks and Wildlife Service Centre:   
e-mail: info@npws.nsw.gov.au

3.  Let your feelings be known to the Australian Embassy in your country.

4. Lastly, if you would like any more information please feel free to email me. I also have access to photos taken just after the slaughter.  To those of you who don't speak English and need a translater, I am sorry.

Yours sincerely, Lyall Sempf - Australia  lksempf@iprimus.com.au

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