The incident began on October 22. Results through October 24:
- Scope: Roberts Mountain, Whistler Mountain, Fish Creek HMAs
- Purpose: Pest control, resource enforcement, rancher protection
- Target: Horses
- Type: Planned
- Method: Helicopter
- Category: Cruel and costly*
- Better way: Sterilize mares with ovary-killing pesticides*
- Captured: 243, up from 86 on Day 1
- Average daily take: 81.0
- Capture goal: 1,106
- Removal goal: 1,068
- Returned: None
- Deaths: 3, up from zero on Day 1
- Shipped: 158, up from zero on Day 1
The shipping figures for Day 2 should be 81 (42 Stallions, 19 Mares, and 20 Foals), not 20 (42 Stallions, 19 Mares, and 81 Foals) as posted.
A mare died of a broken neck on Day 2 and a stallion was dispatched for blindness.
On Day 3, a horse (sex not given) was put down for blindness.
The death rate is 1.2%.
The capture total includes 100 stallions, 114 mares and 29 foals.
Youngsters represented 11.9% of the animals gathered.
Of the adults, 46.7% were male and 53.3% were female.
Body condition scores ranged from 3 to 6 on Days 2 and 3.
The HMAs and surrounding lands are subject to permitted grazing.
*According to advocates.
Day 3 ended with 82 unaccounted-for animals.
Up to 19 mares will be treated with GonaCon Equine, a fertility control pesticide, before being returned to the range with up to 19 stallions.
Other statistics:
- Forage liberated to date: 2,916 AUMs per year
- Water liberated to date: 2,430 gallons per day
- Forage assigned to livestock: Undetermined
- Horses displaced from Complex by permitted grazing: Undetermined
- True AML: Undetermined
- Stocking rate at new AML: Undetermined
- 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: Roberts Mountain Roundup in Progress.
Western Horse Watchers Association 