Blue Wing Roundup, Day 10

The incident began on August 1. Gather stats through August 10:

Target: Horses and burros
Type: Planned
Method: Helicopter
Category: Cruel and costly
Horses captured: 129, up from zero on Day 8
Burros captured: 805, no change from Day 8
Average daily take: 12.9 horses, 80.5 burros
Capture goal: 200 horses, 800 burros
Removal goal: 200 horses, 800 burros
Horses returned: None
Burros returned: None
Horse deaths: 4, up from zero on Day 8
Burro deaths: 10, no change from Day 8
Horses shipped: 67, up from zero on Day 8
Burros shipped: 695, up from 540 on Day 8

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

The capture goal for burros has been reached. The goal for horses will likely be achieved by the weekend.

A filly was put down on Day 9 because of a broken leg. Two fillies were put down on Day 10 due to hernias and a mare was euthanized because of a missing eye.

The horse death rate is 3.1% and the burro death rate is 1.2%.

The burro total includes 338 jacks, 405 jennies and 62 foals.

The horse total includes 50 stallions, 62 mares and 17 foals.

Youngsters represented 13.2% of the horses captured.

Of the adults, 44.6% were male and 55.4% were female.

The herd can’t be growing at a rate of 20% per year with a birth rate of 13% per year.

A better estimate would be 8% per year, assuming a death rate of 5% per year.

Land managers often use a growth rate of 20% per year to predict herd sizes and justify resource enforcement actions.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap was not disclosed.

The HMAs in the Complex are subject to permitted grazing.

Day 10 ended with 58 unaccounted-for horses and 100 unaccounted-for burros.

No animals are to be returned to the area.

Other statistics:

AML: 553 horses and 90 burros, equivalent to 598 horses
Forage assigned to horses and burros: 7,176 AUMs per year
Pre-gather population: 1,695 horses and 1,327 burros, equivalent to 2,359 horses
Forage liberated to date: 6,378 AUMs per year
Water liberated to date: 5,315 gallons per day
Forage assigned to livestock: 9,631 AUMs per year (estimated)
Animals displaced from Complex by permitted grazing: 802 horses
True AML: 1,355 horses and 90 burros, equivalent to 1,400 horses
Stocking rate at new AML: 1.2 horses per thousand acres
Animals displaced from Complex by drilling and mining: Ask the advocates