A booming population of feral horses is being relocated from a south-east Queensland forest, with authorities saying the risk of car strikes is posing a grave danger to horses and humans.
The horse population within the Toolara and Tuan state forests, north of Gympie, is estimated to have increased by up to 50 per cent in the past four years to about 3,000 animals.
The forest managers have said the population poses a deadly risk to residents and visitors heading to the popular holiday spot of Rainbow Beach.
"We are concerned that someone will die there," said HQPlantations stakeholder engagement manager Stephanie Hunt.
Annually, the wild animals cause "multiple" road accidents in the area, Ms Hunt said.
"Eventually, someone will lose their life in a collision with a feral horse and that's not a situation that we can accept."
Two brumbies were hit by vehicles in the past fortnight.
One horse had to be euthanased due to its injuries, the other was not found.
Incidents are becoming more common as herd populations expand their territories and are pushed closer to roadsides.
"Ten years ago they were quite central in the plantations and there were only a few horses a year seen on the side of the road or crossing the road," Ms Hunt said.
"It's almost a daily occurrence to see at least one family on the side of the road or crossing the road and that's what's causing the increase in accidents."
Road signage and fences are in place to increase driver awareness and limit horse movement, but equine expert David Berman says rehoming the animals is the most effective way to prevent vehicle strikes.
"More horses, more cars, more traffic [means] more chances for collision," Dr Berman said.
"People are coming up for a holiday and they're not aware of what can happen when a horse comes across the road."
'Passive' trapping method
For 14 years, Dr Berman has been working with HQPlantations to rehome feral horses.
As an adjunct research fellow at the Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Systems (CSAS) at the University of Southern Queensland, he tracks the wild animals and contains them with a "passive" approach.
He achieves this by first introducing an electric fence to their habitat that is laid down with the electricity turned off.
Once the horses are familiar with the fence, Dr Berman raises it and the electricity is then turned on.
Slowly, Dr Berman reduces the fenced area from being "larger than two football fields" to a small pen.
Over the course of last week, he successfully trapped six horses.
"They didn't even know we were shutting them in," Dr Berman said.
"Then, we allowed them to find the electric fence and that they were contained."
The trapping approach needs to be slow and gentle, Dr Berman says, as if the horses become spooked some can jump the 1.8m fence and escape.
"It's very passive. You can't get them upset at all," he said.
More than 300 horses need to be removed from the forest to counteract the growth rate, but there are not enough homes or alternate locations to transport them to, Dr Berman says.
"Feral horses in Australia are increasing faster than they're being removed," he said.
Brumbies as 'incredible' partners
Anna Uhrig collects wild horses from across the state, trains them and matches them with new owners.
She urges people to adopt or foster a brumby.
"Anyone can take a horse, we just need them to have a secure yard for when the brumby gets there … and a bit of knowledge about how to care for that animal," Ms Uhrig said.
"We run camps where people come in, they get their own brumby.
"They're taught the stages of getting that brumby from completely wild and are handled to having a first ride."
Ms Uhrig says brumbies are versatile horses.
"They make really great companion animals or therapy horses, show jumpers [or] trail-riding horses," she said.
Some horses can take months to settle, but Dr Berman says the time and effort is worth it.
"When you find a good home for a horse, and you see the face of the person who's taking it, you can actually change someone's life," he said.
"The partnership they develop — that bond is incredible.
"Wild horses have a strong bond with each other, but then they can have that same bond between the horse and the person who takes them."
