CANBERRA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- A large number of feral pigs and buffalo will be culled in an iconic Australian national park in an attempt to protect biodiversity.
More than 10,000 wild pigs have been killed in Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory (NT) since mid-2022 following a population boom, with thousands more expected to be destroyed throughout the year.
According to the federal government, feral pig numbers have doubled to approximately 70,000 since culls were halted in the world heritage-listed park in 2019, while buffalo numbers have grown to 7,500 and feral horse numbers to 15,000.
The feral population boom poses a major threat to the park, one of Australia's top tourist attractions, causing widespread destruction of native fauna and damaging aboriginal rock art dating back to thousands of years.
Aerial culls were suspended in 2019 pending a safety review after a helicopter crashed during a horse cull in the park but resumed in 2022.
"The aerial culling was paused for a good reason -- there had been a shocking helicopter accident and it was important for National Parks to take full account of the safe work environment that they should be providing for their staff," Tanya Plibersek, minister for the Environment and Water, was quoted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Sunday.
"But we know that the feral population in Kakadu National Park had blown out through the roof because of that suspension of aerial culling."
A spokesperson for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which oversees the world heritage list, said the feral animals in Kakadu were a "significant concern" but not a threat to its heritage status. ■