The incident began on July 9. Results through July 23:
- 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: 1,071, up from 963 on Day 13
- Average daily take: 71.4
- Capture goal: 1,107
- Removal goal: 1,107
- Returned: 2, no change from Day 13
- Deaths: 9, no change from Day 13
- Shipped: 939, up from 856 on Day 13
The figures above are based on the daily reports, not the totals posted by the BLM.
Gather activity was cut short on Day 15 due to temperature.
The death rate is 0.8%.
The capture total includes 350 stallions, 493 mares and 228 foals.
Youngsters represented 21.3% 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 843 adults.
A 21% birth rate corresponds to a growth rate of 16% 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 15 ended with 121 unaccounted-for animals.
The capture goal is 97% achieved. Operations will likely conclude this week.
Mares treated with fertility control pesticides will be returned to the area at a later date.
Other statistics:
- Forage liberated to date: 12,828 AUMs per year
- Water liberated to date: 10,690 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 13.
Western Horse Watchers Association 