Piceance Roundup, Day 11

The incident started on August 2.  Results through August 12:

• Scope: Piceance-East Douglas HMA, West Douglas HA
• Target: Horses
• AML: 235
• Pre-gather population: 1,145
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Category: Costly and inhumane (according to advocates)
• Better way: Eliminate the breeding population with PZP (according to advocates)
• Capture goal: 1,025
• Removal goal: 1,011
• Captured: 589, up from 502 on Day 9
• Shipped: 500, up from 416 on Day 9
• Released: None
• Deaths: 4, up from 3 on Day 9
• Average daily take: 53.5
• Unaccounted-for animals: 85
• 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 stallion was dispatched on Day 11 for a preexisting condition.

The death rate is 0.7%.

The capture total includes 227 stallions, 246 mares and 116 foals.

Youngsters represented 19.7% of the animals gathered, enough to support a herd growth rate of 15% per year.

Of the adults, 48.0% were male and 52.0% were female, no indication of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores on Days 10 and 11 ranged from 3 to 4.

The location of the trap site was not disclosed.

The contractor is CD Warner Livestock and the contract amount is $679,249, based on a report at USA Spending.

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

• Forage: 7,068 AUMs per year
• Water: 5,890 gallons per day

The West Douglas HA is unfit for wild horses, supposedly, and has no AML.

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