Twin Peaks Roundup, Day 5

The incident began on July 23.  Gather stats through July 27:

• Target: Horses and burros
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Category: Cruel and costly
• Horses captured: 787, up from 588 on Day 3
• Burros captured: 2, no change from Day 3
• Average daily take: 157.4 horses, 0.4 burros
• Capture goal: 1,978 horses, 339 burros
• Removal goal: 1,868 horses, 339 burros
• Horses returned: None, no change from Day 3
• Burros returned: None, no change from Day 3
• Horse deaths: 9, up from 6 on Day 3
• Burro deaths: None, no change from Day 3
• Horses shipped: 578, up from 366 on Day 3
• Burros shipped: 2, up from 1 on Day 3

The figures above are based on the daily reports.  The number of horses shipped doesn’t match the total at the gather page.

Two horses were put down on Day 4 due to pre-existing conditions.  A mare jumped out of a pen on Day 5, ran through fencing and was later found dead.

The horse death rate is 1.1%.

The horse total includes 308 stallions, 352 mares and 127 foals.

Youngsters represented 16.1% of the horses captured.  Of the adults, 46.7% were male and 53.3% were female.

The herd can’t be growing at a rate of 20% per year with a birth rate of 16%.  A better estimate would be 11% per year, assuming a death rate of 5% per year.

Body condition scores on Days 4 and 5 ranged from 4 to 5.

Trapping continued at Bull Flat in Lassen County.

The HMA is subject to permitted grazing.

Day 5 ended with 200 unaccounted-for horses and no unaccounted-for burros.

Mares treated with fertility control will be returned to the area at a later date.

Other statistics:

• AML: 758 horses and 116 burros, equivalent to 816 horses
• Forage assigned to horses and burros: 9,792 AUMs per year
• Pre-gather population: 3,316 horses and 401 burros, equivalent to 3,516 horses
• Forage liberated to date: 9,456 AUMs per year
• Water liberated to date: 7,880 gallons per day
• Forage assigned to livestock: 27,178 AUMs per year (estimated)
• Animals displaced from HMA by permitted grazing: 2,264 horses
• True AML: 3,022 horses and 116 burros, equivalent to 3,080 horses
• Stocking rate at new AML: 4.1 horses per thousand acres
• Horses displaced from HMA by drilling and mining: Ask the advocates

RELATED: Twin Peaks Roundup, Day 3.