Bible Springs Roundup, Day 9

The incident started on August 2. Results through August 10:

Scope: Bible Springs, Four Mile, Tilly Creek HMAs, Blawn Wash HA
Target: Horses
AML: 170
Pre-gather population: 961
Type: Planned
Method: Helicopter
Category: Cruel and costly (according to advocates)
Better way: Eliminate genetic mixing with PZP (according to advocates)
Capture goal: 800
Removal goal: 800
Captured: 282, up from 223 on Day 7
Shipped: 221, up from 171 on Day 7
Released: None
Deaths: 2, no change from Day 7
Average daily take: 31.3
Unaccounted-for animals: 59
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.

No animals were taken on Day 8.

The death rate is 0.7%.

The capture total includes 104 stallions, 119 mares and 59 foals.

Youngsters represented 20.9% of the animals gathered, large enough to support a herd growth rate of 16% per year.

Of the adults, 46.6% were male and 53.4% were female, no indication of an abnormal sex ratio.

The location of the trap site was not disclosed.

The contractor is Sampson Livestock and the contract amount is $497,130 according to a report at USA Spending.

There are no plans to treat any of the mares with fertility control pesticides and return them to the range, a huge disappointment to the advocates.

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

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

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.