The incident began on September 17. Gather stats through September 23:
- Target: Horses
- Type: Planned
- Method: Helicopter
- Category: Cruel and costly (advocates have a bettter way)
- Captured: 462, up from 258 on Day 5
- Average daily take: 66.0
- Capture goal: 700
- Removal goal: 400
- Returned: None
- Deaths: 1, up from zero on Day 5
- Shipped: 316, up from 217 on Day 5
The figures above are based on the daily reports, not the totals posted by the BLM.
A stallion was put down on Day 6 due to blindness in one eye. He’d be alive today if there was no roundup.
The capture total includes 172 stallions, 195 mares and 95 foals.
Youngsters represented 20.6% of the animals gathered.
Of the adults, 46.9% were male and 53.1% were female.
The percentage of foals has decreased since Day 5, suggesting the herd growth rate may be closer to 16% per year, given a death rate of 5% per year.
Body condition scores were not provided.
The location of the trap site was not disclosed.
The HMA and surrounding lands are subject to permitted grazing.
Day 7 ended with 145 unaccounted-for animals.
Mares treated with fertility control may be returned to the area at a later date.
Other statistics:
- Horses allowed by plan (AML): 390
- Forage assigned to horses: 4,680 AUMs per year
- Pre-gather population: 920
- Forage liberated to date: 5,544 AUMs per year
- Water liberated to date: 4,620 gallons per day
- Forage assigned to livestock: 17,068 AUMs per year (estimated)
- Horses displaced from HMA by permitted grazing: 1,422
- True AML: 1,812
- Stocking rate at new AML: 8.6 horses per thousand acres
- Horses displaced from HMA by drilling and mining: Ask the advocates
The government collects $23,042 per year in grazing fees from ranching activity inside the HMA while it spends $2,595,150 per year to care for the horses displaced thereby.
Would you say that permitted grazing is a wise use of the public lands?
RELATED: Cedar Mountain Roundup, Day 5.
Western Horse Watchers Association 