Antelope Roundup Summary, Day 29

The incidents began on July 9.  The North roundup continues.  The South roundup ended on July 26.

Combined results through August 6:

• Scope: Spruce-Pequop, Goshute, 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: 2,675
• Average daily take: 92.2
• Capture goal: 3,107
• Removal goal: 3,107
• Percent complete: 86.1
• Returned: 7
• Deaths: 31
• Shipped: 2,585

The figures above are based on the daily reports, not the totals posted by the BLM.

The death rate is 1.2%.

The capture total includes 980 stallions, 1,224 mares and 471 foals.

Youngsters represented 17.6% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 44.5% were male and 55.5% were female, still outside the expected range of variation from a simple random process centered at 50% males / 50% females with a sample of 2,204 adults.

A birth rate of 18% per year corresponds to a herd growth rate of 13% per year.

Day 29 ended with 52 unaccounted-for animals.

The HMAs and surrounding lands are subject to permitted grazing, with livestock receiving over seven times more forage than horses inside the Complex.

That resource would support an additional 6,079 wild horses, putting the True AML at 6,868.

Overpopulation means more horses than allowed by plan, not necessarily more horses than the land can sustain.

*According to advocates.

RELATED: Antelope Roundup North, Day 29, Antelope Roundup South Over.