Sands Basin April 2024
The BLM has begun removal of 100% of the wild horses that occupy the Sands Basin HMA and Four Mile HMA in western Idaho.
The entire 18,800 acre Four Mile HMA was consumed in the 187,185 acre Paddock Fire. Over 10,000 acres of the 11,715 acre Sands Basin HMA was consumed by the Jump Fire.
Four Mile HMA (fire boundary in red)
Sands Basin (fire boundary in red)
BLM has stated numerous times that they have not documented any deaths of wild horses due to fire.
BLM says on the website there are about 40 wild horses left in Sand Basin after the 2023 roundup. They estimate the population at Four Miles at around 52.
BLM has begun capturing wild horses via helicopter drive-trapping and will set bait traps to capture the remainder.
38 (20 Stallions, 15 Mares, and 3 Foals) wild horses were captured at Four Mile on 8/27.
BLM said they are “going out to get the rest” today. On the website BLM said they were going to bait trap the rest. But it appears they are giving helicopter drive-trapping another round before moving on to Sands Basin.
BLM Idaho made the decision to remove all of the horses due to a lack of feed. They say they will hold wild horses for two years at the Bruneau Corrals.
They will not be returning all of the horses. Instead BLM will only release enough horses to reach the low AML (33 horses for Sands Basin and 37 for Four Mile). They will treat mares prior to release with either PZP or GonaCon. GonaCon has a 4-10 year efficacy rate that will essentially leave these small populations genetically bankrupt.
BLMs own geneticist has warned that the low numbers are not genetically sound. BLM claims introduction of mares from other herds will fix any genetic issues that arise. BLM has never explained how releasing an older mare from another area that has been treated with a 4-10 year hormonal vaccine would actually breed enough so that genetic material could be introduced to fix a problem they created (BLM has made this same claim in numerous HMAs including the Surprise Complex that was left genetically bankrupt last fall).
We have not seen any issuance of closure of livestock allotments to cover the same 2-year timeframe. We will let you know if we see any longterm closure (livestock operators would be reimbursed for any loss through various USDA programs).
No observation of trapping in either HMA is being allowed. This is not an active fire zone and the reasoning behind closing out public and press has not been clarified.
Our team member went to the Boise corrals that are serving as temporary holding for sorting (wild horses not chosen for release will be processed for adoption).
38 (20 Stallions, 15 Mares, and 3 Foals) wild horses were captured at Four Mile on 8/27.
Below: These 3 foals have gone through an awful lot. First the fire, then capture and now separated from the family forever. No smaller foals were brought in.
BLM will be moving into Sands Basin in the next day or two.
082924
BLM released a press release today that they concluded the emergency removal. BLM did not explain the discrepancy between the targeted numbers and the actual captured numbers. We do not know if horses did, in fact, perish in the fire or were left on range.
BLMs press release below
BLM concludes emergency wild horse gather in southwestern Idaho
Sands Basin and Four Mile Herd Management Areas burned by Jump and Paddock fires
BOISE, Idaho–Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Owyhee and Four Rivers field offices’ staff finished gathering wild horses from the Four Mile and Sands Basin Wild Horse Herd Management Areas (HMA), which were decimated by the Jump and Paddock fires.
There were 38 wild horses gathered from the Four Mile HMA and 36 from the Sands Basin HMA. They have been checked by a veterinarian and appear to be in good physical health; none of the wild horses were injured during the wildland fires.
“The BLM moved quickly, once the fires were controlled, to get the wild horses off the range and to the Boise Off-Range Wild Horse Corrals, where they will have plenty of quality feed and water,” said BLM Acting Boise District Manager Ammon Wilhelm. “We are grateful that the gathers went smoothly, and the wild horses are doing well. Once the wild horses have been inspected and are settled, we will open the corrals for the public to visit.”
The wild horses will be returned to the range once the grasses have been replanted and there is enough forage to sustain the herd.
Thank you for keeping WHE on the frontline running for the wild.
Fiscal 2024 team reporting (helicopter roundups)
Private Facility Reports fiscal 2024
Broken Arrow (Indian Lakes Rd, Fallon, NV)
Categories: Wild Horse Education
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