Desatoya Roundup Day 6

The incident began on January 16.  Gather stats through January 21:

• Target: Horses
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Captured: 147, up from 93 on Day 3
• Average daily take: 24.5
• Capture goal: 233
• Removal goal: 150
• Returned: 2, up from zero on Day 3
• Deaths: 2, up from 1 on Day 3
• Shipped: 83, up from 9 on Day 3

A stallion was euthanized on Day 5, lifting the death rate to 1.4%.

The cumulative total includes 67 stallions, 61 mares and 19 foals.

Youngsters represented 12.9% of the horses captured, consistent with a herd growth rate of 8% per year, assuming a 5% death rate.

Of the adults, 52.3% were stallions and 47.7% were mares.

Body condition scores were not reported.

The location of the trap site within the HMA was not provided.

Two stallions, each blind in one eye, were returned to the HMA on Day 4.  Blindness is usually a fatal flaw for captured horses.

The number of animals shipped includes nine privately owned horses returned to their owner on Day 3.

Day 6 ended with 60 unaccounted-for animals.

Other statistics:

• AML: 180
• Forage assigned to horses: 2,160 AUMs per year
• Pre-gather population: 277
• Forage liberated to date: 1,740 AUMs per year
• Water liberated to date: 1,450 gallons per day
• Forage assigned to livestock: 9,608 AUMs per year (estimated)
• Horses displaced from HMA by permitted grazing: 801
• True AML: 981
• Stocking rate at new AML: 6.1 wild horses per thousand acres
• Horses displaced from HMA by drilling and mining: Ask the advocates

RELATED: Desatoya Roundup Day 3.