East Pershing Roundup, Day 43

The incident began on December 28. Results through February 8:

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: 2,698, up from 2,560 on Day 41
Average daily take: 62.7
Capture goal: 2,875
Removal goal: 2,875
Released: 3, no change from Day 41
Deaths: 26, no change from Day 41
Shipped: 2,589, up from 2,505 on Day 41

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

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

The capture total includes 1,084 stallions, 1,251 mares and 363 foals. The sidebar at the gather page says 1,082/1,245/365.

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

Of the adults, 46.4% were male and 53.6% were female, no evidence of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores ranged from 3 to 4 on Days 42 and 43.

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 43 ended with 80 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 2,589 horses shipped, and a pre-gather population in Winnemucca of 958, give or take, the off-range corrals should be at 89% of capacity.

Other statistics:

Forage liberated to date: 32,340 AUMs per year
Water liberated to date: 26,950 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:

RELATED: East Pershing Roundup, Day 41.