East Pershing Roundup, Day 7

The incident began on December 28.  Results through January 3:

• Scope: Sonoma Range HA, East Range HA, Humboldt HA, Tobin Range HMA, North Stillwater HMA, Augusta Mountains HMA
• Purpose: Pest control, resource enforcement, rancher protection
• Target: Horses
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Category: Cruel and costly*
• Better way: Beat their numbers down with ovary-killing pesticides*
• Captured: 733, up from 605 on Day 5
• Average daily take: 104.7
• Capture goal: 2,875
• Removal goal: 2,875
• Returned: None
• Deaths: 8, no change from Day 5
• Shipped: 608, up from 398 on Day 5

Helicopters did not fly on Day 7 due to snow.

The death rate is 1.1%.

The capture total includes 316 stallions, 360 mares and 57 foals.

Youngsters represented 7.8% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of two to three percent per year.

Of the adults, 46.7% were male and 53.3% were female, no evidence of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores averaged 3 on Day 6.

The location of the trap site was not given.

The Complex is managed primarily for animal agriculture.  The National Data Viewer shows habitat loss and grazing allotments.  Click on image to open in new tab.

*According to advocates.

Day 7 ended with 117 unaccounted-for animals.

There are no plans to treat any of the captured mares with fertility control pesticides and return them to the range.

Other statistics:

• Forage liberated to date: 8,796 AUMs per year
• Water liberated to date: 7,330 gallons per day
• Horses allowed by plan: 555
• Pre-gather population: 3,375
• Forage assigned to horses: 6,660 AUMs per year
• Forage assigned to livestock: Not determined
• Horses displaced from Complex by permitted grazing: Not determined
• True AML: Not determined
• Stocking rate at new AML: Not determined
• Horses displaced by drilling and mining: Ask the advocates

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

The ability of the Complex to sustain wild horses has been severely limited by the bureaucrats, who have assigned most of their food to the public-lands ranchers.

RELATED: East Pershing Roundup, Day 5.