Above: Run 1 and 2
Our welfare team member was, once again, the only member of the public onsite at the ongoing Devil’s Garden roundup.
At each trap they are squeezing out a very small number of wild horses each day and continue to capture an alarmingly low number of foals.
Yet, in court briefing they continue to claim an “overpopulation” and a growth rate that is hard to truly nail down but seems to lie at 15%-20% depending on if you are reading the legal brief, the press release or a declaration. The number of foals coming in during this operation have demonstrated a 7.8%-10% rate. According to contracted government geneticist Gus Cothran, foaling rates drop when populations enter genetic collapse. Or this could be due to predation that USFS has failed to analyze (one of the consistent failures of analysis in planning for Devil’s Garden as livestock operators continue to receive reimbursements for predation).
Above: Run 3 and 4
The pilot is putting really intense pressure on these horses to get them to go in.
Dangerously Close? There are people that will claim the helicopter is not directly over the horses. Yes, it is. The area as you enter the trap is only wide enough for the chopper. If you look at the still images below and track the movement in the video above, the chopper is path fits the definition of “dangerously close.”
Perhaps when there are so few horses to catch the frustration is really high and the temptation to throw safety of the horses out the window is high?
We all remain concerned about the low number of foals coming in. Above is every wet mare and foal in the pens. We are reviewing this footage carefully. We have asked for mares and foals to be part of any release so this herd has a chance of surviving. We have also asked that there be no fertility control (the agency purchased GonaCon without first establishing the authority to use it) be applied on any horses returned.
During a hearing Thursday for the Preliminary Injunction, attorneys for USFS told the court that there were only a few days left (even though at that time they were only two-thirds of the way to goal). She said “Monday, Tuesday” and then looked down and said “Monday.”
Onsite there seems to be a disconnect, one more time, between what USFS attorneys are telling the court and how they respond onsite. Onsite they seem to be saying they are going to keep going based on the number “they paid” to have removed. We let our attorneys know. We still believe this will end Monday. If it does not, we do not think the court will be happy. Anyone can see all the contradictions and understand when we say “They just do whatever they want and nothing they say can be relied on.” This case does not end with this roundup where the Judge is looking at a release of wild horses as a remedy, we are also amending this case to include the new gather plan they released after the roundup started. So USFS will be in front of this same Judge on that matter as well.
Our team is working hard both in the field and behind the scenes for Devil’s Garden and all of our wild ones across the West.
Our team needs your support. Without you, none of our work is possible.
Thank you for keeping WHE running for our wild ones!
Categories: Wild Horse Education
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