The incident began on July 9. Results through July 21:
- 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: 963, up from 826 on Day 11
- Average daily take: 74.1
- Capture goal: 1,107
- Removal goal: 1,107
- Returned: 2, no change from Day 11
- Deaths: 9, up from 7 on Day 11
- Shipped: 856, up from 783 on Day 11
The figures above are based on the daily reports, not the totals posted by the BLM.
Lameness and club feet were reported as deaths on Day 13, suggesting that the animals were taken alive but killed by the wranglers.
The death rate is 0.9%.
The capture total includes 312 stallions, 440 mares and 211 foals.
Youngsters represented 21.9% of the animals gathered.
Of the adults, 41.5% were male and 58.5% were female, outside the expected range of variation from a simple random process centered at 50% males / 50% females with a sample of 752 adults.
A 22% birth rate corresponds to a growth rate of 17% per year, a bit less than the 20% growth rate used by land managers 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 13 ended with 96 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: 11,532 AUMs per year
- Water liberated to date: 9,610 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 11.
Western Horse Watchers Association 