The incident began on July 9. Results through July 17:
- Scope: Antelope, Antelope Valley HMAs
- Purpose: Pest control, resource enforcement, rancher protection
- Target: Horses
- Type: Planned
- Method: Helicopter
- Category: Cruel and costly*
- Better way: Poison mares with ovary-killing pesticides*
- Captured: 679, up from 631 on Day 7
- Average daily take: 75.4
- Capture goal: 1,107
- Removal goal: 1,107
- Returned: 2, no change from Day 7
- Deaths: 7, up from 5 on Day 7
- Shipped: 658, up from 533 on Day 7
The figures above are based on the daily reports, not the totals posted by the BLM.
Aerial operations were cut short on Days 8 and 9 by temperature and wind.
A mare and stallion died of fractured necks on Day 8, probably due to collisions with pipe panels.
The death rate is 1.0%.
The advocates will point to these losses as justification for their ruinous darting programs.
The capture total includes 212 stallions, 309 mares and 158 foals.
Youngsters represented 23.3% of the animals gathered.
Of the adults, 40.7% were male and 59.3% were female. The proportions fall outside the expected range of variation from a simple random process centered at 50% males / 50% females with a sample of 521 adults. The disparity might be explained by the contractor targeting family bands.
A birth rate of 23% per year corresponds to a growth rate of 18% per year.
Land managers often use growth rates of 20% per year to predict herd sizes and management actions.
Body condition scores were not provided.
The location of the trap site was not disclosed.
The HMAs and surrounding lands are subject to permitted grazing.
*According to advocates.
Day 9 ended with 12 unaccounted-for animals.
Mares treated with fertility control pesticides will be returned to the area at a later date.
Other statistics:
- Forage liberated to date: 8,124 AUMs per year
- Water liberated to date: 6,770 gallons per day
- Forage assigned to livestock: Unknown
- Horses displaced from area by permitted grazing: Unknown
- True AML: Unknown
- Stocking rate at new AML: Unknown
- Horses removed because of drilling and mining: Ask the advocates
Overpopulation means more horses than allowed by plan, not necessarily more horses than the land can support.
RELATED: Antelope Roundup South, Day 7.
Western Horse Watchers Association 