Assateague Herd Grows Slightly

The Park Service reported in an undated news release that the population in March 2025 was 79, up from 73 a year earlier.

The herd consisted of 47 females and 32 males, a ratio of approximately 1.5 to 1.

Four deaths and ten births were recorded.

The article did not indicate if mares had been brought in from other areas to replace those ruined by the darting program.

The population has remained below target for seven years.

RELATED: If PZP Is Reversible, Why Is the Assateague Herd Still Shrinking?

DOI Taking Bold Steps to Restore Domestic Energy Production

Recent announcements from the BLM news site:

Western Horse Watchers was unable to find a statement declaring man-made climate change to be a hoax, a fine example of communist subversion.

The chicoms don’t have to bomb our refineries and chemical plants, we’ll destroy them ourselves.

Foal-Free Friday, Attempting the Impossible Edition

The Salt River advocates are trying to cut the herd size in half with PZP, as if they can put it into a nosedive for ten years and have it come in for a soft landing.

The Virginia Range advocates are trying to achieve a reduction of 80% or more with the same pesticide.

The herds will auger in.

The final populations will be zero because most of the mares will be sterile, if they aren’t already.

Those that bear fruit, not enough to overcome the death rate, likely have faulty immune systems, a trait that could be passed on to their offspring.

This is what the advocates bring to the table.

RELATED: Foal-Free Friday, Uproar and Outrage Edition.

Lahontan Planning Documents Out for Public Review

A preliminary environmental assessment has been copied to the project folder with several appendices.

Comments will be accepted through May 12 according to the news release.

The Proposed Action, discussed in Section 2.3 of the EA, would remove all excess horses from an area that is roughly 25 times larger than the HMA.

Figure 1 shows the arrangement.

The current population is thought to be 518.

The AML is 7 – 10 so 511 animals are on the chopping block.

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

A roundup does not appear on the latest schedule.

Table 1 says the HMA is 100% within the Lahontan Allotment but Figure 2 suggests otherwise.

RELATED: Scoping Begins for Lahontan Wild Horse Roundup.

San Bernardino County Launches New Plan for Wild Burros

Officials have contracted with DonkeyLand to relocate orphaned, sick or injured animals and castrate 100 jacks over the next year according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.

The article did not indicate if the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses, a leader in nonmotorized removal, had offered to pummel the jennies with pesticide-laced darts at no cost to the government.

RELATED: San Bernadino County Hits Pause on Reche Canyon Burro Removal.

Legislation to Protect TRNP Wild Horses Introduced in Senate

The bill would maintain a genetically diverse herd of at least 150 animals according to a report by KX News.

The story did not indicate if it was prompted by SCR 4006.

The measure was introduced on April 9, read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

The bill text was not immediately available.

RELATED: Breeding Population More Important Than Herd Size.

Forage Required by Wild Horses and Burros on BLM Lands

Are the figures in this Google search result correct?

Reagan’s doctrine of “trust but verify” does not apply to the wild horse advocates.

They cannot be trusted.

The final page of the 2025 population dataset gives post-Rock Springs AMLs of 22,637 wild horses and 2,919 wild burros.

Therefore, the total number of animals allowed by plan is correct.

22,637 + 2,919 = 25,556

One AUM will sustain one cow-calf pair, one wild horse, two burros or five sheep for one month.

So the total forage requirement is

22,637 × 12 + 2,919 × 12 ÷ 2 = 289,158 AUMs per year

Like the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses, Return to Normal (Before WHB Act) is a strong supporter of nonmotorized removal,

The nonprofit works closely with the FREES Network, a ranching advocacy group sponsored by Utah State University Extension, and signed onto the “Path Forward,” a 2019 plan for ranching superiority in the lawful homes of wild horses and burros.

RELATED: BLM Releases 2025 Wild Horse and Burro Population Dataset.

NOTE: Initially CAAWH opposed the Path Forward but now accepts it.

EPA Updates RUP Report

The list is current as of March 6.

PZP is on page 33 as Zonastat-H.

GonaCon-Deer is in the report but GonaCon-Equine is not.

Restricted use pesticides are not available for purchase or use by the general public.

You must have a diploma from the Billings School of PZP Darting and Public Deception to sterilize mares with Zonastat-H.

Most wild horse advocates wear their certificates as badges of honor.

Beware of the Sanctuaries

If a proposed project does not include public lands, it’s not worthy of your support.

Moving wild horses off the range and into private care is exactly what the ranchers want.

The best value for your investment, and the best option for the horses, is to buy deeded acreage tied to grazing allotments, as American Prairie is doing for bison in Montana.

RELATED: Key Indicators for New Wild Horse Preserves.