East Pershing Roundup, Day 15

The incident began on December 28.  Results through January 11:

• 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: Fix the problem once and for all with ovary-killing pesticides*
• Captured: 1,139, no change from Day 13
• Average daily take: 75.9
• Capture goal: 2,875
• Removal goal: 2,875
• Returned: 3, up from 2 on Day 13
• Deaths: 13, up from 11 on Day 13
• Shipped: 1,115, up from 925 on Day 13

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

Helicopters did not fly on Days 14 and 15.

A stallion was released on Day 15.  No details were given.

Two stallions were dispatched on Day 15 due to leg injuries.

The death rate is 1.1%.

The capture total includes 480 stallions, 538 mares and 121 foals.  The sidebar at the gather page says 532 mares captured.

Youngsters represented 10.6% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of five to six percent per year.

Of the adults, 47.2% were male and 52.8% were female, no evidence of an abnormal sex ratio.

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 15 ended with eight 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: 13,632 AUMs per year
• Water liberated to date: 11,360 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 13.