The Antelope Complex (twin roundups) continue into the second week of operations. The North trap did not fly. The South trap continued to push, hard.
The North trap targets 200, the South 1,107. The South trap has had the accelerator on since day 1. Both operations are approved to operate under the same Environmental Assessment (paperwork) and both are approved to operate through August. However, we expect the South trap to rush to completion by the end of the week (we know the personnel and they have a reputation for rushing).
NOTE from the field today: It looks like North trap is pushing hard today. For some reason the heavy humidity and heat with cloud cover is seen as “relief” from heat. It seems BLM is not understanding the Heat Index is impacted by humidity. Temperature is an outdated way to determine impact on physiology from heat.
We are beginning to think the South crew will move North when complete, but BLM has not addressed this specific question yet.
Above: A big red stallion caught the eye of our observer. We believe he is the one that recently, he had won himself a new young mare that was devoted to him and she joined his band. After evading capture yesterday, he has been captured and valiantly attempted escape… he will never see his family again. In addition, the big stallions often grab our hearts, hard. They are the ones most vulnerable to the BLM “sales” program where they run a real risk of going to slaughter.
The intense high temperatures were followed by a day of hot and muggy showers. BLM pushed hard today.
Those of you following a release of official daily totals from BLM have noticed one of the differences between the BLM North trap crew and South trap crew; an easy to see distinction is when they post daily totals. South trap crew takes a lot longer. The BLM command at South trap is the same command crew that was at Pancake (most of you remember the colt that snapped a leg) and at Triple B last summer.
Captured: 119 (39 Stallions, 54 Mares, and 26 Foals)
Total at the South trap now stands at 798 (251 Stallions, 363 Mares, 184 Foals) captured of the 1,107 targeted.
There have been 7 deaths and 4 orphan foals from the south trap in 10 days.
Of the 2000 targeted for captured from north trap, 289 Wild Horses (93 Stallions, 146 Mares, and 50 Foals) have been captured with 4 deaths (and no orphans reported) in the same time period.
Above: We have reason to believe this is a little mare we know that faced capture and escaped after her band fractured yesterday, regrouped. Was recaptured and waited for her stallion to find a way out of trap. She went out and found other horses to be with… and evaded capture two more times. If it is not her, it is her brother that from a distance looks just like her. The kind od matched siblings from other mothers that make you do a double-take.
We have over 15 minutes of video of the little horse waiting for family… after fighting for her freedom so many times. BLM does not run a helicopter at a trap for one day. They stay there and these horses can be run day after day.
This video is so gut-wrenching because it illustrates what BLM is doing to this range and with no recognition this is foaling/breeding season in a herd they purport to be the experts on.
They are pushing numbers down to a politically set stocking rate of “what the land can sustain” agreed on in the 1980s and never backed up by data. The inventory method (and additions of “those not seen”) have changed drastically since the 80s. If you ran this method in 1975, we could have the same number as today.
More than probable, BLM is pushing this range down below the numbers in the area when the Act was passed (even if they wont admit it… but a second grade algebra teacher could explain to them, you do something to one side of the equation and you need to do it to the other or you fail the test.) Not ONE of the HMAs in this complex has a data-based Herd Management Area Plan (HMAP) that even discloses how BLM set the stocking level in this area (or anything else).
It is going to take over a decade for these herds to recover… if ever… even if BLM did not use one drop of fertility control.
To make matters even more ironic, the grazing allotments in the south trap zones predominantly belong to an old (admitted) mustanger.
Above: This little one was separated during the drive and ran toward his family in trap and was roped by a wrangler on foot. When first rope attempt is made, he tries to get to mom and crashed into the panel. If baby was given the chance to get into the pen where there are other horses (it is dangerous to rope from the ground) he probably would have just gone in.
The South trap is expected to continue the hard push.
We will have an article out for you shortly on some of the “misinformation traps” that are rather active out there and the dangers they represent.
Our teams are back in the field and working furiously behind the scenes.
You can follow our team in the field through the following links:
History of the fight against abuse, click HERE
2023 Summer Roundups
Antelope North Daily Public Reports
Antelope South Daily Public Reports
Thank you for keeping us in the fight!
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Categories: Wild Horse Education
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