Aspect 1 – Who am I?
Scientific Name:
Equus Caballus
Common Name:
Horse
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Perissodactyla
Family:
Equidae
Kingdom:
Animalia
Genus:
Equus
Species:
Caballus
(Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, 2012)
(Scientific classification of horses, n.d.,)
(Fredrickson, 2000)
Aspect 2 – Reasons for the Introduction
The story of the Brumby began in 1788 when the First Fleet arrived in Australia (Dawson, 2005). Domestic horses originated from England and were used in Australia for farming transport and industry. The introduction of horses was clearly deliberate and was very useful to the early settlements and settlers. These horses did no harm until some became “feral” (Wilson, 2012). Bad quality fences and infrequent musters meant that many horses escaped (Dawson, 2005). Machinery replaced horses and people also abandoned them (Australian Brumby, 1995). These domestic horses consequently became wild or “feral” and where given the name “Brumbies.” The name Brumby is thought to have originated from the last name of a Scottish soldier, named James Brumby who came to Australia with the first …show more content…
Wild Horses can destroy vegetation by eating, grazing and trampling on it (Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, 2012). Creek-beds and waterways can also be destroyed by wild horses. Wild horses can also chew bark, compact soil, and pug [trampling of wet soil leaving a dense area of deep footprints], (The Environmental Impact of Wild Horses in the Victorian Alps n.d.). This also has an effect on native animals. When wild horses trample vegetation, native animals are unable to eat that food and therefore can unfortunately die out. Native animals can also loose their habitat due to trampling. Wild horses also impact native plants as they eat them etc. (Department of Agriculture and Fisheries,