The operation concluded on October 12, with 100 excess horses and 176 excess burros removed from their home range. Four deaths occurred (1.4%), according to the daily reports, and no animals were released back to the HMAs.
One nine year old mare died of a broken neck and three other horses, older, were put down due to qualifying defects.
Helicopter roundups, prohibited by the original WHB Act, allow these operations to be carried out with brutal efficiency. The wranglers hired for the work refer to the on-range casualties as ‘capture shock.’
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Western Horse Watchers Association 