Operations concluded today, according to a statement at the gather page, with 867 horses captured, 761 shipped, 41 returned and six dead.
The numbers don’t balance.
There were 867 – 761 – 41 – 6 = 59 unaccounted-for animals.
The capture goal was 1,050 and the removal goal was 750.
The 41 horses returned were stallions, probably freed to skew the herd’s sex ratio, reducing its growth rate.
Around 200 mares were to be treated with fertility control and returned to the HMA.
Foals represented approximately 19% of the horses captured. Of the adults, 45% were male and 55% were female.
The advocates complained that the chase would be too stressful on foals and pregnant mares while concealing their belief that there shouldn’t be any foals or pregnant mares.
An on-site survey found ample forage in the HMA but did not mention that most of it had been reserved for the public-lands ranchers.
Others disputed the rationale for the roundup.
The forage assigned to livestock would support an additional 570 wild horses, for a True AML of 805.
The pre-gather population was thought to be 1,385.
RELATED: Piceance Roundup Starts This Week, Not an Emergency.
Western Horse Watchers Association 