Blue Wing Roundup, Day 15

The incident started on July 8.  Results through July 22:

• Scope: Blue Wing Complex
• Target: Horses and burros
• AML: 555 horses and 90 burros
• Pre-gather population: 1,912 horses and 476 burros
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Category: Cruel and costly (according to advocates)
• Better way: Snuff out new life with PZP (according to advocates)
• Goals
  • Horses: Gather 1,373 and remove 1,333
  • Burros: Gather 356 and remove 356
• Captured
  • Horses: 917, up from 727 on Day 13
  • Burros: 360, no change from Day 13
• Shipped
  • Horses: 764, up from 652 on Day 13
  • Burros: 353, no change from Day 13
• Released
  • Horses: 2, no change from Day 13
  • Burros: None
• Deaths
  • Horses: 23, up from 17 on Day 13
  • Burros: 8, no change from Day 13
• Average daily take
  • Horses: 61.1
  • Burros: 24.0
• Unaccounted-for animals
  • Horses: 128
  • Burros: -1
• Snippet from statute: It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

Horses

A mare died on Day 14 due to a kick in the head.  Another mare was found dead on a truck when it arrived at off-range holding.  A third mare was dispatched for poor body condition.

On Day 15, a stallion was put down for lack of teeth, a mare was dispatched for excessive curvature of the spine and another stallion was euthanized for blindness in one eye, boosting the death rate to 2.5%.

The capture total includes 364 stallions, 377 mares and 176 foals.

Youngsters represented 19.2% of the animals gathered, consistent with a herd growth rate of 14% per year.  Land managers typically use 20% per year to predict herd sizes and management actions.

Of the adults, 49.1% were male and 50.9% were female.

Body condition scores were not given.

Burros

The capture goal has been reached.

More burros were processed than caught, throwing the numbers out of balance.

Captured – Shipped – Released – Dead = 360 – 353 – 0 – 8 = -1

The death rate is 2.2%.

The capture total includes 186 jacks, 152 jennies and 22 foals.

Youngsters represented 6.1% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 55% were male and 45% were female.

General

The location of the trap site is not known.  Five HMAs are involved.

The Complex is subject to permitted grazing.  Resources liberated to date:

• Forage: 13,140 AUMs per year
• Water: 10,950 gallons per day

The June 3 schedule indicates that 40 mares will be treated with a fertility control pesticide but this is not acknowledged at the gather page.

There are no such plans for the burros.

The roundup supports three tenets of rangeland management.

RELATED: Blue Wing Roundup, Day 13.