Piceance Roundup, Day 21

The incident started on August 2. Results through August 22:

Scope: Piceance-East Douglas HMA, West Douglas HA
Target: Horses
AML: 235
Pre-gather population: 1,145
Type: Planned
Method: Helicopter
Category: Cruel and costly (according to advocates)
Better way: Poison the mares with PZP (according to advocates)
Capture goal: 1,025
Removal goal: 1,011
Captured: 808, up from 769 on Day 19
Shipped: 712, up from 711 on Day 19
Released: None
Deaths: 5, no change from Day 19
Average daily take: 38.5
Unaccounted-for animals: 91
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.

The death rate is 0.6%.

The capture total includes 316 stallions, 335 mares and 157 foals.

Youngsters represented 19.4% of the animals gathered, enough to support a herd growth rate of 14% per year.

Of the adults, 48.5% were male and 51.5% were female, no indication of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores on Days 20 and 21 ranged from 3 to 4.

The location of the trap site was not disclosed.

The contractor is CD Warner and the contract amount is $679,249 according to a report at USA Spending.

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

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

The average daily take during the first 11 days of the roundup was 53.5.

The average take for the last 10 days was 21.9.

How much longer is the contractor willing to tolerate declining productivity and lackluster results?

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