Piceance Roundup, Day 25

The incident started on August 2.  Results through August 26:

• 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: 844, up from 835 on Day 23
• Shipped: 791, no change from Day 23
• Released: None
• Deaths: 7, no change from Day 23
• Average daily take: 33.8
• Unaccounted-for animals: 46
• 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 0.8%.

Productivity hit a new low on Day 25 with two horses captured.

The capture total includes 334 stallions, 349 mares and 161 foals.

Youngsters represented 19.1% of the animals gathered, enough to support a herd growth rate of 14% per year.

Of the adults, 48.9% were male and 51.1% were female, no indication of an abnormal sex ratio.

Body condition scores on Days 24 and 25 were 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:

• Forage: 10,128 AUMs per year
• Water: 8,440 gallons per day

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

PREVIOUS: Piceance Roundup, Day 23.

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