The battle over Australia's brumbies intensifies in a clash of culture, colonialism and conservation

Paul Hardey has seen the fight over the high country's horses turn feral.

"When the threats go from, 'I want to punch your head in,' to, 'I know where your kids go to school and they're going to get it.' It's not right," Hardey says.

As horse numbers explode, divisions over what is worth protecting in Kosciuszko National Park are deepening.

Hardey — who worked as a park ranger in Kosciuszko for 40 years — says mountain communities are being torn apart.

"To suddenly see this degenerate into almost madness… friends, neighbours threatening each other or not speaking up, being afraid to be involved in a debate," he says.

Please click here to read the rest of the article as it appears on the ABC News website.

Article written by: Adam Harvey, Mary Fallon and Lucy Carter