Bible Springs Roundup, Day 5

The incident started on August 2.  Results through August 6:

• Scope: Bible Springs, Four Mile, Tilly Creek HMAs, Blawn Wash HA
• Target: Horses
• AML: 170
• Pre-gather population: 961
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Category: Costly and inhumane (according to advocates)
• Better way: Stop the transmission of life with PZP (according to advocates)
• Capture goal: 800
• Removal goal: 800
• Captured: 146, up from 50 on Day 3
• Shipped: 81, up from zero on Day 3
• Released: None
• Deaths: 1, up from zero on Day 3
• Average daily take: 29.2
• Unaccounted-for animals: 64
• 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
• Snippet from manual: To protect wild horses and burros from unauthorized capture, branding, harassment or death

The figures above are based on the daily reports.

A mare was found dead in temporary holding on Day 4.

The death rate is 0.7%.

The capture total includes 52 stallions, 61 mares and 33 foals.

Youngsters represented 22.6% of the animals gathered, large enough to support a herd growth rate of 17% per year.

Of the adults, 46.0% were male and 54.0% were female, no indication of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores were not given.

The location of the trap site is not known.

The name of the contractor was not specified.

The contract amount was not disclosed.

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

The HMAs are subject to permitted grazing.  Resources liberated to date:

• Forage: 1,752 AUMs per year
• Water: 1,460 gallons per day

The Blawn Wash HA is unfit for wild horses, supposedly, and has no AML.

PREVIOUS: Bible Springs Roundup, Day 3.

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