The incident began on July 23. Gather stats through July 29:
- Target: Horses and burros
- Type: Planned
- Method: Helicopter
- Category: Cruel and costly
- Horses captured: 945, up from 787 on Day 5
- Burros captured: 2, no change from Day 5
- Average daily take: 135.0 horses, 0.3 burros
- Capture goal: 1,978 horses, 339 burros
- Removal goal: 1,868 horses, 339 burros
- Horses returned: None, no change from Day 5
- Burros returned: None, no change from Day 5
- Horse deaths: 14, up from 9 on Day 5
- Burro deaths: None, no change from Day 5
- Horses shipped: 694, up from 578 on Day 5
- Burros shipped: 2, no change from Day 5
The figures above are based on the daily reports. The number of horses shipped doesn’t match the total at the gather page.
Three horses were put down on Day 7 due to pre-existing conditions. Two foals died in temporary pens, cause unknown.
The horse death rate is now 1.5%, up from 1.1% on Day 5.
The horse total includes 373 stallions, 422 mares and 150 foals.
Youngsters represented 15.9% of the horses captured. Of the adults, 46.9% were male and 53.1% were female.
The herd can’t be growing at a rate of 20% per year with a birth rate of 16% per year.
A better estimate would be 11% per year, assuming a death rate of 5% per year.
Body condition scores on Days 6 and 7 ranged from 4 to 5.
The trap was moved to a new location on Day 6.
The HMA is subject to permitted grazing.
Day 7 ended with 237 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: 11,340 AUMs per year
- Water liberated to date: 9,450 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 5.
Western Horse Watchers Association 