East Pershing Roundup, Day 35

The incident began on December 28.  Results through January 31:

• 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: Poison the mares with PZP, let the herds die off*
• Captured: 2,225, up from 2,054 on Day 33
• Average daily take: 63.6
• Capture goal: 2,875
• Removal goal: 2,875
• Released: 3, no change from Day 33
• Deaths: 24, no change from Day 33
• Shipped: 2,192, up from 2,021 on Day 33

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

The death rate is 1.1%.  Three horses died accidentally, 21 were killed deliberately.

The capture total includes 906 stallions, 1,024 mares and 295 foals.  The sidebar at the gather page says 904/1,018/297.

Youngsters represented 13.3% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of eight percent per year.

Of the adults, 46.9% were male and 53.1% were female, no evidence of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores ranged from 3 to 4 on Days 34 and 35.

The location of the trap site was not disclosed.

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 35 ended with 6 unaccounted-for animals.  This result should be zero based on the totals in the sidebar, suggesting there are errors in the daily reports.

The contractor is shipping them the same day they are captured.

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: 26,664 AUMs per year
• Water liberated to date: 22,220 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 33.