East Pershing Roundup, Day 19

The incident began on December 28.  Results through January 15:

• 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: Sterilize the mares with PZP, let the ranchers have their way*
• Captured: 1,245, up from 1,139 on Day 17
• Average daily take: 65.5
• Capture goal: 2,875
• Removal goal: 2,875
• Returned: 3, no change from Day 17
• Deaths: 13, no change from Day 17
• Shipped: 1,115, no change from Day 17

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

Helicopters did not fly on Day 18.

The trap site has been moved to a new but undisclosed location.

The death rate is 1.0%.

The capture total includes 531 stallions, 578 mares and 136 foals.  The sidebar at the gather page says 572 mares captured.

Youngsters represented 10.9% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of five to six percent per year.

Of the adults, 47.9% were male and 52.1% were female, no indication 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 19 ended with 114 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: 14,904 AUMs per year
• Water liberated to date: 12,420 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
• North Stillwater HMA

RELATED: East Pershing Roundup, Day 17.