The incident began on July 9. Results through July 25:
- 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: 1,107, up from 1,071 on Day 15
- Average daily take: 65.1
- Capture goal: 1,107
- Removal goal: 1,107
- Returned: 2, no change from Day 15
- Deaths: 10, up from 9 on Day 15
- Shipped: 1,057, up from 939 on Day 15
The figures above are based on the daily reports, not the totals posted by the BLM.
Helicopters did not fly on Day 16 due to equipment maintenance.
A stallion was put down on Day 17 due to a missing eye, a non-life-threatening condition.
The death rate is 0.9%.
The capture total includes 368 stallions, 507 mares and 232 foals.
Youngsters represented 21.0% of the animals gathered.
Of the adults, 42.1% were male and 57.9% were female, outside the expected range of variation from a simple random process centered at 50% males / 50% females with a sample of 875 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 17 ended with 38 unaccounted-for animals.
The capture goal is 100% 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: 13,260 AUMs per year
- Water liberated to date: 11,050 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 15.
Western Horse Watchers Association 