Mare falls and is trampled (Jackson Mountain, WHE file photo) In 2012 Wild Horse Education shut down the roundup as the agency used “emergency” to run foals with choppers as livestock grazed the range.
On September 15, the BLM begins the 2021 emergency roundup at the Jackson Mountain Herd Management Area (HMA) in Nevada. The HMA consists of 283,775 acres (276,634 acres of BLM land and 7,141 acres of a mix of private and other public lands) and the agency has set the population level of wild horses at 130-217. The BLM estimates there are 1,018 wild horses in the HMA. The emergency operation targets 600 wild horses in the southern part of the HMA.
Scroll down for roundup updates.
The south of Jackson Mountain HMA (and the entire HMA) are true examples of the lack of actual management planning and the serious flaws in the way the agency prioritizes funding.
Emergency roundups are the “go to” plan at Jackson Mountain. You can comment on the new roundup plan HERE and help break the cycle.
During the “emergency” roundup of wild horses last year at Jackson Mountain the BLM took the horses to the off-limits-to-public-view facility in Fallon, NV.
In 2021, captive Jackson Mountain wild horses will go to Palomino Valley Center (PVC) north of Reno to be branded, vaccinated and sorted for adoption events, sale authority and transfer to other facilities. WHE will be keeping an eye on these wild ones as they recover and feature several of them if you are looking to adopt a true survivor, an amazing American Mustang.
Keeping an eye on the Jackson wild ones is really important to those of us at WHE. The wild horses at Jackson were also the victims of an extreme case of salmonella after a capture in 2007 and at least 159 died in the holding facility. (More on salmonella from the Horse: “Horses do not exhibit true carrier status, which occurs in cattle and some other animals, says Peek. He notes that certain types of Salmonella that affect species like cattle can cause an animal to be infected for life. “This does not happen in horses with the Salmonella types encountered in the U.S.,” says Peek.”)
Are the wild horses more susceptible to widespread and extreme cases of salmonella due to the constant overgrazing of the range by the domestic cows in that corner of Jackson? It is a debate worth having in the new EA out for comment.
Roundup reports from our field teams will appear with the newest at the top. Scroll down for earlier reports.
Operation concluded October 1.
Cumulative totals:
captured: 527 (166 Stallions, 245 Mares, and 116 Foals)
shipped: 495 (157 Stallions, 227 Mares, and 111 Foals)
deaths – 31: a 4-year-old bay mare had an abscess (we do not know where it was or what it looked like). 5-year-old Bay mare BLM said had a hernia. 2-year-old Bay mare BLM said had hernia. Foal Bay filly BLM stated “chronic injury (orphaned/abandoned) with poor prognosis for recovery,” 20-year-old bay poor condition was put down. 4-year-old mare for “poor body score.” 6-year-old Bay stud (hernia: developmental); 20+ year old Bay mare BLM said due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished). 4-year-old Bay mare BLM said was due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished); 20+ year old Bay mare due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished); 2-year-old Bay mare was euthanized due to hernia; Foal Brown colt was euthanized in due to hernia; 3 year old Bay mare was euthanized BLM stated due to chronic injury (poor body condition:; starvation/malnourished) with poor prognosis for recovery; Foal Bay filly was euthanized BLM stated due to chronic injury (hernia: developmental); 4 year old Bay mare was euthanized BLM stated due to chronic injury (Blind in one eye); 20+ year old Black mare was euthanized BLM stated to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished) with poor prognosis for recovery; Foal Bay colt was euthanized BLM stated due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished) with poor prognosis for recovery; 20+ year old Bay stud was euthanized BLM stated due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished) with poor prognosis for recovery; 20 year old Bay “due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished & severe tooth loss) with poor prognosis for recovery;” 20+ year old Grey stud “due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished & severe tooth loss) with poor prognosis for recovery; 16 year old Bay stud “due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished) with poor prognosis for recovery;” 16 year old Grey mare “due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished) with poor prognosis for recovery;” 3 year old Sorrel mare “due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished);” 20+ year old Bay mare “due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished); 14 year old Bay mare, “due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished) with poor prognosis for recovery;” 15 year old Bay more was “due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished);” 6 year old Grey mare was euthanized “due to chronic injury (poor body condition: stravation/malnourished);” 12 year old Bay stud “due to chronic injury (lameness/physical defect: previously injured front leg);” Bay Filly foal “due to chronic injury (tumors/cancer);” 18 year old Grey stud was euthanized “due to chronic injury (tumors/cancer); 20+ year old Sorrel stud ” due to chronic injury (lameness/physical defect: previously injured rear left leg).”
September 30: 24 (8 Stallions, 11 Mares, 5 Foals)
September 29: 15 (5 Stallions, 7 Mares, 3 Foals) captured.
5 deaths: 6 year old Grey mare was euthanized “due to chronic injury (poor body condition: stravation/malnourished);” 12 year old Bay stud “due to chronic injury (lameness/physical defect: previously injured front leg);” Bay Filly foal “due to chronic injury (tumors/cancer);” 18 year old Grey stud was euthanized “due to chronic injury (tumors/cancer); 20+ year old Sorrel stud ” due to chronic injury (lameness/physical defect: previously injured rear left leg).”
September 28: 41 (14 Stallions, 20 Mares, 7 Foals) captured, 34 (34 Stallions, 0 Mares, 0 Foals) shipped.
4 deaths: 20 year old Bay “due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished & severe tooth loss) with poor prognosis for recovery;” 20+ year old Grey stud “due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished & severe tooth loss) with poor prognosis for recovery; 16 year old Bay stud “due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished) with poor prognosis for recovery;” 16 year old Grey mare “due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished) with poor prognosis for recovery;”
September 27: 55 (24 Stallions, 22 Mares, and 9 Foals) captured, 36 (13 Stallions, 12 Mares, and 11 Foals) shipped.
4 deaths: 3 year old Sorrel mare “due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished);” 20+ year old Bay mare “due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished); 14 year old Bay mare, “due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished) with poor prognosis for recovery;” 15 year old Bay more was “due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished).”
September 26: 9 (3 Stallions, 4 Mares, and 2 Foals) captured. Our observer was the only member of the public onsite. Today, she was permitted to go to holding to check on wild horses.
September 25: Our observer was the only member of the public present. A lot of times between runs. BLM confirmed the pilot is inexperienced. Trap still difficult to document due to distance and rising temps throughout the day (heat lines). No dust control observed. We were not permitted to go to holding to see wild horses.
37 (13 Stallions, 14 Mares, and 10 Foals) captured.
6 died:
- 3 year old Bay mare was euthanized BLM stated due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished) with poor prognosis for recovery
- Foal Bay filly was euthanized BLM stated due to chronic injury (hernia: developmental)
- 4 year old Bay mare was euthanized BLM stated due to chronic injury (Blind in one eye)
- 20+ year old Black mare was euthanized BLM stated to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished) with poor prognosis for recovery
- Foal Bay colt was euthanized BLM stated due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished) with poor prognosis for recovery
- 20+ year old Bay stud was euthanized BLM stated due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished) with poor prognosis for recovery
September 24: 41 (16 Stallions, 15 Mares, and 10 Foals) captured. 2 died because of “hernia,” a 4 month old colt and a 2-year-old mare.
September 23: 23 (5 Stallions, 14 Mares, and 4 Foals) captured. 2 died: 4-year-old Bay mare BLM said was due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished); 20+ year old Bay mare due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished).
September 22: 30 (9 Stallions, 13 Mares, and 8 Foals) captured. 2 died: 6-year-old Bay stud (hernia: developmental); 20+ year old Bay mare BLM said due to chronic injury (poor body condition: starvation/malnourished).
Sept 21: 53 (17 Stallions, 22 Mares, and 14 Foals) captured. 4-year-old bay mare was put down for “poor body condition.”
Sept 20: 73 (23 Stallions, 34 Mares, and 16 Foals) captured.
The mare and foal seen in the video yesterday are still at holding
September 19
4 (0 Stallions, 4 Mares, and 0 Foals) 0 shipped.
15-20 mph winds with gusts up to 30 mph. A hike of over an hour to arrive at observation.
Wild horses continued to evade the trap. Jackson horses demonstrated what amazing athletic balance they have climbing the shale covered mountains. Today, we did actually get a view of trap pens (not wings). However, operation was called off and BLM said they are moving trap.
4 wild horses aught today. BLM classified them all as mares. We see an early season colt (maybe 8 months old) and a yearling, two mares? All are classified in the BLM report as simple “mare.”
Sept 18
Morning loading. It is uncertain at this time if the mare and foal in the video were among the three that died (“euthanized”) today.
24 (9 Stallions, 10 Mares, and 5 Foals) wild horses captured today.
3 wild horses died:
- 5-year-old Bay mare BLM said had a hernia.
- 2-year-old Bay mare BLM said had hernia.
- Foal Bay filly BLM stated “chronic injury (orphaned/abandoned) with poor prognosis for recovery.”
More on the agencies “Guidance for Euthanasia” HERE
Winds kicked up to 30 mph gusts. Our team went to morning loading at temporary holding. They were not allowed to go to trap and were told “one or the other.” We expected the day to be called early due to wind, we had not actually seen the wild ones captured at trap, so the team chose holding.
Sept 17:
43 (8 Stallions, 24 Mares, and 11 Foals) wild horses were captured.
Our team began the day before dawn and left site after 6 pm. Our team was finally permitted to see the temporary corral. However, it was getting dark and the tarp (not snow fencing) around the corrals provided no real opportunity to identify individual horses. After 3 days, our team is getting frustrated.
Video below taken with a camera that can reach the equivalent of 2000 mm lens. However, at that distance quality degrades.
Our team also set out for the corral north of Reno (PVC) the horses are being sent to. The corral, that was open just days ago, is now closed except to approved adopters by appointment. Our team member stood on her truck as most pens were obstructed at eye level by a semi truck.
Our team has had a discussion with BLM and hopefully access has more options tomorrow. Our team is back on-site today.
Sept 16:
In two run BLM captured 18 wild horses (4 Stallions, 11 Mares, and 3 Foals). They put down a 4-year-old mare for an abscess.
Our observers are the only ones at trap. There are serious issues with observation and communication. More soon from our field team.
Day 1, Sept 15:
A newer contractor is working Jackson Mountain. The pilot appears to be struggling at the trap mouth. First run of the day escaped, was driven across the valley and up the mountain. It then appears the chopper landed because a contract vehicle came to trap (?).
Our observers, the only members of the public at trap, could not see any of the actual trap wings or much of the trap. (see video above)
BLM captured 37 wild horses (8 Stallions, 20 Mares, and 9 Foals).
For brief moments we could see wild horses of. in the distance and then they disappear.
The first run of the day was at 5:45 and the last at 5:15. There were a number of unsuccessful runs at trap and long periods in between runs. BLM said this is because they are taking time because the horses are in such bad shape their “minds are gone.”
For horses whose “minds are gone” they sure did a good job at avoiding the trap and fought pretty hard. If the horses are compromised BLM should move trap closer to where the pilot is driving them from and limit distance to no more than 5 miles (?). Just a suggestion. (The long day encourages a bit of sarcasm.)
When horses are in the trap tarps and placement of trailers leave only ears to view.
BLM stated that visits to temporary holding will not be provided daily. We can not give you any assessment on the condition of the wild horses, the handling or the trap.
Observation will be in the same location tomorrow.
Our team had a very long day. BLM did not convey much information verbally about what was transpiring; not even confirming if any horses actually went into trap. The team got back to the motel late.
We will post more video and images soon. Hopefully tomorrow viewing is better and we get to see temporary holding.
As the trailer pulls away, we can see a bit more. It appears the tarps are only on the backside of the trap (?). Due to the length of the day, we could not even go to the trap to note how it is set.
September Roundups
Barren Valley Roundup Reports (ongoing)
Centennial, phase 2 (cancelled)
Bait trap updates (coming soon)
Help keep us in the field and in the courts.
Thank you.
Categories: Wild Horse Education
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