East Pershing Roundup, Day 11

The incident began on December 28.  Results through January 7:

• 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: Get rid of them with PZP*
• Captured: 940, up from 838 on Day 9
• Average daily take: 85.5
• Capture goal: 2,875
• Removal goal: 2,875
• Returned: None
• Deaths: 11, up from 9 on Day 9
• Shipped: 841, up from 803 on Day 9

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

The trap site was moved to the Humboldt HA on Day 11.

A stallion was dispatched on Day 10 due to blindness in one eye.  A colt was put down due to injuries sustained in capture.

The death rate is 1.2%.

The capture total includes 408 stallions, 447 mares and 85 foals.  The sidebar at the gather page says 441 mares captured.

Youngsters represented 9.0% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of four percent per year.

Of the adults, 47.7% were male and 52.3% were female, no evidence of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores ranged from 2.5 to 3.5 on Days 10 and 11.

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 11 ended with 88 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: 11,280 AUMs per year
• Water liberated to date: 9,400 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 limited by the bureaucrats, who have assigned most of their food to the public-lands ranchers.

Refer to these reports for an indication of the problem:

• Sonoma Range HA
• East Range HA
• Tobin Range HMA
• Augusta Mountains HMA

RELATED: East Pershing Roundup, Day 9.