East Pershing Roundup, Day 41

The incident began on December 28.  Results through February 6:

• 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 herd die off*
• Captured: 2,560, up from 2,553 on Day 39
• Average daily take: 62.4
• Capture goal: 2,875
• Removal goal: 2,875
• Released: 3, no change from Day 39
• Deaths: 26, no change from Day 39
• Shipped: 2,505, up from 2,378 on Day 39

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

Helicopters could not fly on Day 41 due to fog.

The death rate is 1.0%.  Four horses died accidentally, 22 were killed intentionally.

The capture total includes 1,029 stallions, 1,186 mares and 345 foals.  The sidebar at the gather page says 1,027/1,180/347.

Youngsters represented 13.5% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of eight percent per year.

Of the adults, 46.5% were male and 53.5% were female, no evidence of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores ranged from 3 to 4 on Day 40.

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 41 ended with 26 unaccounted-for animals.

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

With 2,505 horses shipped, and a pre-gather population in Winnemucca of 958, give or take, the off-range corrals should be at 86% of capacity.

Other statistics:

• Forage liberated to date: 30,684 AUMs per year
• Water liberated to date: 25,570 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 39.