The advocates will tell you that the Montana Solution is safe and reversible but experience indicates otherwise.

Trailcam images from the Virginia Range show injuries.

The herd on Assateague Island (Maryland side) is struggling to recover from the darting program, which was shut off in 2016.  Last year it grew just 7.8% and this year the Park Service refused to publish the census results, breaking a long tradition of transparency.

Wherever it’s applied, we see

• Barren mares
• Confused stallions
• Injuries and infections
• Shrinking herds
• Abnormal sex ratios
• Disruption of natural order
• Subordination to livestock

Death rates are probably increasing, as explained previously.

A compilation of the effects of PZP on wild horses, assembled in 2015, appears in a report prepared by ISPMB, beginning on page 30.  The research was carried out and documented by others.  The findings predate and outrun the 2016 incident at ISPMB.

• The vaccine does not prevent disease, it causes disease
• PZP tricks the immune system into waging war on the ovaries
• Treatments may lead to ovarian cysts
• Recovery of fertility at end of treatments is slow (if at all)
• Antibodies can be transferred to offspring via placenta and mother’s milk
• One shot can sterilize a filly if darted before puberty
• Risk of stillbirths may go up

The protocols call for selected mares (selected by advocates) to be taken off the treatments until they produce live foals.  Why would the procedures say “live foals?”

The advocates care far more about their standing with the bureaucrats and ranchers than they do about wild horses.

The following video shows their handiwork at the Salt River.  Support for the program comes from the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses, a common denominator in many fertility control programs.

RELATED: Foal-Free Friday, Exposing the Lies of the Advocates.

The incident began on July 1.  Gather stats through July 7:

• Target: Horses
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Captured: 328, up from 235 on Day 5
• Average daily take: 46.9
• Capture goal: 383
• Removal goal: 353
• Returned: 1, no change from Day 5
• Deaths: 8, no change from Day 5
• Shipped: 244, up from 177 on Day 5

The death rate declined from 3.4% to 2.4%.

The total, based on the daily reports, includes 118 stallions, 167 mares and 43 foals.

The total at the gather page is 318.

Youngsters represented 13.1% of the animals captured.  Of the adults, 41.4% were male and 58.6% were female.

Body condition scores were not given.

The herd can’t be growing at a rate of 20% per year with a birth rate of 13% per year.

Abnormal sex ratios are often found in herds subject to the Montana Solution.

The location of the trap site within the HMA was not disclosed.

Day 7 ended with 75 unaccounted-for animals.

Mares treated with fertility control will be returned to the area at a later date.

Operations will likely conclude by Day 9.

Other statistics:

• AML: 314
• Forage assigned to horses: 3,768 AUMs per year
• Pre-gather population: 541
• Forage liberated to date: 3,924 AUMs per year
• Water liberated to date: 3,270 gallons per day
• Forage assigned to livestock: 1,135 AUMs per year (estimated)
• Horses displaced from HMA by permitted grazing: 94
• True AML: 408
• Stocking rate at new AML: 3.1 horses per thousand acres
• Horses displaced from area by drilling and mining: Ask the advocates

RELATED: Buffalo Hills Roundup Day 5.

The Decision Record, signed on July 6, authorizes the Proposed Action, which features removal of younger animals, sex ratio skewing, sterilization of stallions and IUDs and Gonacon for mares over a ten-year period.  Refer to page 9 in the Final EA.

The DR and EA were posted with other project documents.

Four HMAs are affected.

The management plan assigns 7.6 times more forage to livestock than the horses and the Proposed Action will assure that the ranchers get their due.

Henceforth you may refer to it as a resource enforcement plan, pest control plan or livestock protection plan.

The BLM news release said a roundup is not on the national schedule, but one could be authorized later this year.

RELATED: Preliminary EA for North Lander Complex Out for Public Review?

A report by the Steamboat Pilot & Today said 18 horses have been captured since the incident began on June 16.

The goal was 99 according to the latest schedule.

The number of animals shipped, deceased and returned was not provided.

Helicopters are set to fly starting on July 15.

RELATED: Piceance Blackout Continues.

It’s set to begin on July 8 according to the latest schedule.

The incident may or may not be announced at the BLM news site and progress reports may or may not be posted in the usual location.

It’s toast.  The optics are horrible, thanks to its supporters.

Those protesting the treatment of that foal would be first in line to get rid of it with the Montana Solution.

RELATED: New Tagline for Helicopter Ban.

It’s not “Save a Horse, Hire a Cowboy,” it’s “Abuse a Foal, Pardon a Cowboy.”

The advocates think this footage will convince the American people that removals by wrangler are better than removals by helicopter.

RELATED: So Long, Helicopter Ban?

The incident began on July 1.  Gather stats through July 5:

• Target: Horses
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Captured: 235, up from 156 on Day 3
• Average daily take: 47.0
• Capture goal: 383
• Removal goal: 353
• Returned: 1, up from zero on Day 3
• Deaths: 8, up from 3 on Day 3
• Shipped: 177, up from 72 on Day 3

Two horses were put down on Day 4 because of physical defects.  Two more were put down on Day 5 for similar reasons and one died from a fractured neck, probably from crashing into a pipe panel.

They’d be alive today if there was no roundup.

The death rate is 3.4%.

A mare was released on Day 4 but no details were given.

The cumulative total includes 87 stallions, 122 mares and 26 foals.  The cumulative total at the gather page is 225.

Youngsters represented 11.1% of the animals captured.  Of the adults, 41.6% were male and 58.4% were female.

The herd can’t be growing at a rate of 20% per year with a birth rate of 11% per year.

Abnormal sex ratios are often found in herds subject to the Montana Solution.

The location of the trap site within the HMA was not disclosed.

Day 5 ended with 49 unaccounted-for animals.

The removal goal is 66% complete.  Mares treated with fertility control will be returned to the area at a later date.

Other statistics:

• AML: 314
• Forage assigned to horses: 3,768 AUMs per year
• Pre-gather population: 541
• Forage liberated to date: 2,808 AUMs per year
• Water liberated to date: 2,340 gallons per day
• Forage assigned to livestock: 1,135 AUMs per year (estimated)
• Horses displaced from HMA by permitted grazing: 94
• True AML: 408
• Stocking rate at new AML: 3.1 horses per thousand acres
• Horses displaced from area by drilling and mining: Ask the advocates

RELATED: Buffalo Hills Roundup Day 3.

Hmmm, the Day 2 report for the Buffalo Hills roundup didn’t say anything about body slamming wild horses.

Wranglers will be the preferred method of capture if the politicians and advocates have their way.  Save a horse, hire a cowboy indeed.

RELATED: Titus Admits Helicopter Ban Won’t Help Wild Horses.

The incident began on July 1.  Gather stats through July 3:

• Target: Horses
• Type: Planned
• Method: Helicopter
• Captured: 156, up from 68 on Day 1
• Average daily take: 52.0
• Capture goal: 383
• Removal goal: 353
• Returned: None
• Deaths: 3, up from 1 on Day 1
• Shipped: 72, up from zero on Day 1

A foal was found dead on Day 1, cause unknown.  A mare was found dead on Day 2, rattlesnake bite.  A stallion was put down on Day 3, physical deformity.

The death rate is now 1.9%.

The cumulative total includes 51 stallions, 88 mares and 17 foals.

Youngsters represented 10.9% of the animals captured.  Of the adults, 36.7% were male and 63.3% were female.

The herd can’t be growing at a rate of 20% per year with a birth rate of 11% per year.

The abnormal sex ratio is often found in herds subject to the Montana Solution.

The location of the trap site within the HMA was not disclosed.

Day 3 ended with 81 unaccounted-for animals.

The removal goal is 44% complete.  Mares treated with fertility control will be returned to the area at a later date.

Other statistics:

• AML: 314
• Forage assigned to horses: 3,768 AUMs per year
• Pre-gather population: 541
• Forage liberated to date: 1,872 AUMs per year
• Water liberated to date: 1,560 gallons per day
• Forage assigned to livestock: 1,135 AUMs per year (estimated)
• Horses displaced from HMA by permitted grazing: 94
• True AML: 408
• Stocking rate at new AML: 3.1 horses per thousand acres
• Horses displaced from area by drilling and mining: Ask the advocates

RELATED: Buffalo Hills Roundup Begins.

The project, situated in the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, would renew grazing permits for another ten years on the Link Spring and Last Chance allotments of northwestern Arizona.

There are no wild horses and burros on those pastures.

The Western Watersheds map shows the arrangement.

Table 2.1 in the Draft EA, currently out for public review, provides active AUMs and Table 3.3 provides acreage.  The Allotment Master Report provides management status.

Link Spring

• 27,589 public acres
• 1,094 active AUMs
• Improve category
• 39.7 AUMs per year per thousand acres forage production

Last Chance

• 9,084 public acres
• 609 active AUMs
• Maintain category
• 67.0 AUMs per year per thousand acre forage production

Both allotments are making progress toward meeting the Arizona BLM Standards for Rangeland Health, according to Section 1.1 of the EA, suggesting that substandard conditions exist, so how did Last Chance qualify for Maintain status?

The average forage production across both allotments is 46.4 AUMs per year per thousand acres, enough to support 3.9 wild horses per thousand acres.

The BLM has stated repeatedly, with the concurrence of the advocates, that public lands in the American west can only sustain one wild horse per thousand acres (27,000 animals on 27 million acres).

The latter figure corresponds to a shifting of resources from wild horses to privately owned livestock.

That’s what the bureaucrats, ranchers and advocates are trying to protect.

On Cumberland Island with Happy Apathy.

The Rangeland Health Assessment and Evaluation Report for the permit renewal indicates in Section 4.2.1 that the base property tied to the four allotments covered by the project contains 40 acres owned by the state of Nevada.

One of the allotments overlaps a small part of the Wassuk HMA.

A base property is land that has the capability to produce crops or forage that can be used to support authorized livestock for a specified period of the year.

Table 1 in the report suggests that the permittee can access over 88,000 public acres yet during the off season his animals must retreat to just 40 acres?

Perhaps some are moved to rented pastures and others receive supplemental feed.

As for rangeland health, the allotments do not meet these standards according to Section 5.0 of the report, which includes numerous photos of as-found conditions:

• Soils
• Riparian and Wetlands
• Plant and Animal Habitat
• Special Status Species Habitat

The allotments meet this standard:

• Water Quality

If permitted grazing is good for the land why are the allotments is such poor condition?

According to Section 5.2.3, bottom of page 94 in the report, wild horses contribute to spring and stream degradation but they typically do not congregate for an extended period of time like cattle.  Wild horses tend to approach a water source to drink then return to the uplands to graze, therefore the time and frequency of damage riparian-wetland areas is generally less than that of livestock at some sites.

That is the usual pattern on the Virginia Range, seen in these trailcam photos.

What’s unusual?  No foals, thanks to the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses, a leader in the wild horse removal business and defender of the public-lands ranchers.

Scan this image for the truth about America’s wild horses.

The incident started yesterday, according to the Day 1 report at the gather page, with 68 horses captured, none shipped and one death.

Foals represented 14.7% of the total.

If the report said that 68 horses had been taken off the range with the Montana Solution (in favor of privately owned livestock), the advocates would be delighted.

RELATED: BLM to Thin Buffalo Hills Herd Starting This Week.

The Allotment Master Report puts it in the Improve category, with two authorizations attached, both to the same permittee.

The project addresses permit #0500682.

The allotment meets the following standard for rangeland health, according to a BLM report dated March 21:

• Water Quality

The allotment does not meet these standards:

• Soils
• Riparian Systems
• Healthy Plant and Animal Communities

The report does not indicate if this standard has been achieved:

• Special Status, T&E Species

If permitted grazing is good for the land because of pasture rotation, rest periods and carefully chosen grazing seasons, why is the allotment in such poor condition?

The answer is obvious: It overlaps the Piceance HMA.

RELATED: Piceance Roundup Prompted by Public Comments?

The Committee on Appropriations designated the amount in the FY 2023 spending bill for Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, according to a report posted this morning by the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.

The move was applauded by the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses, a ranching advocacy group and leader in the wild horse removal industry.

A compilation of the effects of PZP on wild horses, assembled in 2015, appears in a report prepared by ISPMB, beginning on page 30.

The principle of operation touted by the advocates is not correct.  The pesticide tells the immune system to attack the ovaries.

This explains why mares become sterile after five years of treatment: Their ovaries have been destroyed, or nearly so.  The advocates refer to these animals as “self boosting.”

A district court judge ruled that the BLM does not have authority to issue wild horse roundup decisions that are valid for ten years, according to a July 1 news release by Friends of Animals.

It’s not clear if the decision applies only to the Twin Peaks HMA, subject of the case, or to all HMAs.

RELATED: Court Decides Two Wild Horse Cases in Favor of BLM.

Today’s sitrep will be the last, according to the update at the Colorado HMA page.

The mortality table excludes the June 23 death of a West Douglas mare, bringing the total back to 145, although the page still says 146.

A West Douglas mare was found dead on or after June 25 due to an intestinal twist.

A horse was put down on June 27 due to poor body condition.

Another was found dead on June 30 because of colic.

The losses will probably continue, but like the situation at Piceance, you’re not going to hear about them.

RELATED: Cañon City Incident, Day 63.

The BLM announced temporary closures and restrictions yesterday on public lands near the site of the festival, which runs from August 28 to September 5.

The area, about ten miles northeast of Gerlach, NV, is surrounded by HMAs and grazing allotments.  The Western Watersheds map shows the arrangement.

Curiously, roundups are set for Twin Peaks and Blue Wing at that time, according to the latest schedule.  Buffalo Hills starts today.