Bible Springs Roundup, Day 13

The incident started on August 2. Results through August 14:

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: Sterilize the mares with PZP (according to advocates)
Capture goal: 800
Removal goal: 800
Captured: 427, up from 367 on Day 11
Shipped: 361, up from 269 on Day 11
Released: None
Deaths: 4, up from 3 on Day 11
Average daily take: 32.8
Unaccounted-for animals: 62
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 horse was euthanized on Day 13 for a preexisting condition. No details were given.

The death rate is 0.9%.

The capture total includes 151 stallions, 184 mares and 92 foals.

Youngsters represented 21.5% of the animals gathered, enough to support a herd growth rate of 16% per year.

Of the adults, 45.1% were male and 54.9% 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.