Roberts Mountain Roundup, Day 9

The incident began on October 22.  Results through October 30:

• 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 pesticide-laced darts*
• Captured: 589, up from 511 on Day 7
• Average daily take: 65.4
• Capture goal: 1,106
• Removal goal: 1,068
• Returned: None
• Deaths: 4, no change from Day 7
• Shipped: 501, up from 347 on Day 7

The location of the trap site was not given.

The death rate is 0.7%.

The capture total includes 229 stallions, 270 mares and 90 foals.

Youngsters represented 15.3% of the animals gathered, suggesting the herd is growing at a rate of 10% per year.

Of the adults, 45.9% were male and 54.1% were female.

Body condition scores ranged from 4 to 5 on Days 8 and 9.

The HMAs and surrounding lands are subject to permitted grazing.

*According to advocates.

Day 9 ended with 84 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: 7,068 AUMs per year
• Water liberated to date: 5,890 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, Day 7.

UPDATE: A note was added to the Day 9 report after this post went live: A truck carrying 36 captured horses overturned outside of Delta, UT.  Three were killed, four were humanely euthanized and many suffered minor cuts and bruises.  The remaining horses were taken to a holding facility in Delta where they continue to be evaluated and monitored by the on-site veterinarian.  The driver was not injured.  The cause of the accident is under investigation.