Father and son after capture (with the mare on the opposite side of the alley) previous roundup, Twin Peaks. Father protected young son in stallion pen for 3 days before being separated and shipped to different facilities.

Before the Roundup: things you should know about Twin Peaks

The first roundup operation of the 2025 fiscal year began at Twin Peaks. The Twin Peaks HMA covers nearly 800,000 acres in Lassen County, California, and Washoe County, Nevada.  AML (stocking level set by BLM) for wild horses is 448 – 758 animals. The AML for burros: 72 – 116.

There are nine livestock grazing allotments in the HMA. The total AUMs allocated for cattle is 22,481 and for sheep the AUM allocation is 4,679. The total forage allotment for domestic livestock is 27,160.

The total forage allocation for wild horses is 5,376 – 9,096 and burros is 432 – 696 AUMSs.

Animal Unit Month (AUM ) is the acronym for forage allocation/use. The Federal Land Policy & Management Act (FLPMA) [Sec. 4100.0-5] defines an AUM as “the amount of forage necessary for the sustenance of one cow or its equivalent for a period of 1 month.” FLPMA [Sec. 4230.8- 1(c)] states that “For purposes of calculating the fee, an animal unit month is defined as a month’s use and occupancy of range by 1 cow, bull, steer, heifer, horse, burro, mule, 5 sheep, or 5 goats over that age of 6 months at the time of entering the public lands or other lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, by any such weaned animals regardless of age; and by such animals that will become 12 months of age during the authorized period of use. No charge shall be made for animals under 6 months of age at the time of entering the public lands or other lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management; that are the natural progeny of animals upon which fees are paid, provided they will not become 12 months of age during the authorized period of use, nor for progeny born during that period.”

The cost of an AUM for a private rancher on public lands is a paltry $1.35. (less than 1 can of cat food). Only when a rancher breaks the law and runs over time and/or in areas they should not be (called “trespass”), do fees even come close to the current market rate to feed a cow/calf pair for a month. Two years ago the University of Missouri calculated feed costs at around $2.00 per day making feed for a calving cow around $60. per month. Public land ranchers do not even pay enough to cover the costs of land assessments, reviewing and approving permits causing a massive backlog in land health assessments and approval of permits without them.

BLM likes to say that “cows are not out all year.” Domestic livestock create the greatest conflict for wild horses and burros in Twin Peaks.  Domestic livestock is out in numbers all year on that range in numbers ranging from 310 to over 14,000 during the growing season for grasses. . We like to remind BLM that locusts can destroy a range in days and time does not equal damage, particularly during the fragile growing season. 

BLM has not crafted an actual management plan, Herd Management Area Plan (HMAP), for Twin Peaks based on current data and disclosure of how population numbers and forage allocations were completed. (Two lawsuits won victories this year demonstrating that BLM illegally delayed creating HMAPs in other areas totaling 9 HMAs. There are 177 HMAs in the U.S. Do we really have to find the money to litigated another 164 HMAs to gain transparent planning and equal footing?)

This operation targets 940 wild horses and permanent removal of 870 wild horses from the range to reach the lowest forage use allowable by law. BLM will then use GonaCon on mares (a hormonal fertility control vaccine in 2 doses that will cause infertility for 4-10 years) and release them back to the range. The number released is dependent on reaching capture goals. 

Cumulative Totals

Captured: 621 (230 stallions, 278 mares, 113 foals)

Released: 1 (it jumped out of temporary corrals and was not voluntarily released.

Shipped to Litchfield (CA): 578 (191 stallions, 274 mares, 113 foals)

On 10/6 BLM stopped using temporary holding corrals and is shipping directly to Litchfield from trap and no additional observation is being provided for observers at trap if the day ends after “visiting hours” of 1-2 PDT.

Deaths: 4 BLM stated: 5 year old mare mare, blind in right eye. 18 year old mare, blind in right eye, Mare was euthanized BLM said from a vaginal injury that was bleeding and we do not know if she was a fertility control treated mare from the last roundup. 3-year old mare broke her neck during sorting at trap.

Newest reports will appears at the top of the page. Scroll for earlier dates.

We are loading the “week 2” report and will link here when loaded.

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BLM hit the day hard again and packed traps. Wild horses were driven through a maze of barbed wire further into livestock grazing pastures.

Horses were sorted at trap and shipped directly to Litchfield with no observation permitted at the facility.

A 3-year old mare broke her neck on panels during sorting. While BLM Is using the facility instead of temporary corrals, any deaths that occur overnight will not be included in “gather totals.”

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Trap moved south into what BLM is calling an “off-HMA” area where the pilot spent a lot of time weaving horses deeper into a maze of livestock pastures and a barbed wire maze.

BLM hit the area where cattle grazed peacefully hard and captured 117 (49 stallions, 46 mares, 22 foals) even though they did not bring in any horses until well after noon. It appears horses came from far away.

BLM held the public on the opposite side of Wendel Rd., over 2 miles to trap.

Holding was shifted to Litchfield and no observation was permitted because the facility is closed Sunday and Monday to regular public visitors.

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BLM squeezed the last horses from the area. Captured: 38 (8 stallions, 22 mares, 8 foals)

Mare was euthanized from a vaginal injury that was bleeding. BLM would not answer the question if she was a PZP treated mare from the last roundup.

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BLM continued to drive large groups of wild horses into a trap set in forested terrain. Above, you can see a horse fall. How many fall on the drive? We will never know.

On Oct 6th BLM finally posted numbers for the 4th:. Captured: 92 (37 stallions, 41 mares, 14 foals)

BLM is not providing numbers captured to observers onsite. Even when the observer travels all the way to the temporary corrals. The wind had kicked up and our observer was the only one to make the drive and was still not given numbers. It gets frustrating when you are onsite and people at home will know official counts before you do… and they are sitting at home. They told our observer onsite there were no incidents or deaths. But would not give a count.

At 12 p.m. on October 5, BLM has still not updated their website with an official accounting.

EXTRA: When BLM places numbers over safety injuries happen. This foal was apparently kicked (according to BLM) and the lip is in tatters and hanging. GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING in video below. Foal was sent to Litchfield. 

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BLM rushed once more placing numbers over safety causing fighting and dangerous crowding in trap pens. Foals and adults can get caught in these crushes and kicked and injured.

In the rush a trailer door was not secured causing horses to spill out of the moving trailer onto the dirt road.

Death is not the only measure of abuse. Please click here, learn more and join us in calling on Congress for enforceable welfare rules that place safety first.

BLM euthanized 2 mares they said were blind in one eye.

2 injured foals will be sent to the corrals in hopes they will heal. One foal BLM said looks like a “mountain lion attack” and the other was kicked in the face and has a severe lip injury.

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Above: Many of you had asked us how do they get horses through all those barbed wire fences? This is how. The pilot drives horses. Then he lands the chopper, gets out and opens the gate (as horses start running back home) and then he goes and pushes the horses through the gates. No, the sides of the gate are not flagged and we have all seen dire consequences when horses cannot see the barbed wire in the helicopter wash and crash.

A disturbingly low number of foals were brought in. Only one foal came in out of 22 mares.

37 wild horses were captured (14 stallions, 22 mares, 1 foal)

Cattle graze in the distance as wild horses are pushed by helicopter.

Below: 3 evade as the rest of the group is captured

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After wild horses were trailered to temporary corrals, BLM said a mare came in with an atrophied eye. We did not see that she was put down and will let you know if she was trailered to Litchfield and available for placement in rescue or sanctuary.

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The first run of the 2025 fiscal year roundup schedule.

Capture began in the area BLM calls “Observation North” and brought in 46 wild horses. There was a 3 hour wait time from the last group of horses until the helicopter landed. The area is full of livestock grazing fencing in a maze in Observation (North and South) and the pilot may have been hazing horses through gates to prepare for capture the next morning.

In Observation North and South BLM set the level of horses at 196 and burros at 25. From mid April until Halloween, 923 cows are permitted and 4,000 sheep from June 1 through the end of September.

Below: First this stallion tried to evade capture from the helicopter and then made a last ditch attempt to jump the panels.

Even BLM notes: “All horses captured were healthy and in good body condition.”

Our team member remains onsite.

Thank you for keeping WHE running for the wild. 

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