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"Feral horses are not a natural part of the Australian ecosystem and can cause severe damage to alpine and sub-alpine environments, including the destruction of habitat critical to many native wildlife and plant species."

In early May, the Federal Court gave Victoria the green light to trap and cull brumbies in the alps, where scientists say they are damaging the habitat of critically endangered species in the wake of the summer bushfires.

The ruling has implications for both Victoria and NSW, where bushfires have placed pressure on state governments to tackle the soaring numbers of brumbies.

Australian Brumby Alliance spokesperson Jill Pickering said the alliance supported retaining sustainable brumby populations in areas they have lived for over 150 years.

"The ABA is horrified that Parks Victoria has been allowed to continue to cull our heritage horses after cross examination in the ABA court case highlighted significant flaws, such as deer damage wrongly assigned as horse damage," Ms Pickering said in a statement.

The parks agency will deploy small teams of professional shooters, overseen by veterinarians, to cull horses in remote areas at night using thermal imaging and silenced guns.

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Previously, horses have been lured into yards and trapped, then captured or removed, although there has not been strong demand for rehomed brumbies. But the feral horse population ion the high country has soared in the past five years — from about 9200 in 2014 to 25,300 in 2019.

Culling was due to begin in the Eastern Alps after May 26, but has been further delayed until the matter is dealt with in court.