2012 North Lander Complex Wild Horse Gather
Gather Complete
11/3/12 - 11/16/12
Purpose of Gather:
Each HMA has what is called an appropriate management level (AML). That is the number of horses that can thrive in a particular area in balance with other resources and uses. When a herd exceeds its AML, it becomes necessary to remove some of the horses to ensure the health of the rangeland, wildlife and the horses themselves.
In addition, the gather provides the opportunity to treat mares with fertility control to decrease reproduction rates.
Details of Gather:
The BLM Lander Field Office will gather horses using a helicopter in the North Lander Complex in fall 2012. The gather is anticipated to begin the first weekend of November and continue for two to three weeks. The duration of the gather is largely dependent on weather conditions and may be longer or shorter than originally anticipated.
The BLM Lander Field Office manages the North Lander Complex, which consists of the Conant Creek, Dishpan Butte, Muskrat Basin and Rock Creek herd management areas (HMAs), and is located southeast of Riverton in Fremont County, south of Wyoming Highway 136 (the Gas Hills Road) and north of Wyoming Highway 789/287. The complex encompasses about 375,000 acres of land, of which about 90% are BLM-administered public lands.
Public Observation:
Thank you for your interest in observing BLM wild horse gather operations in the North Lander Complex. The BLM is committed to providing as much public access to the gather as possible.
Please be advised that gather operations are fluid and may change at any time. For example, the team may need to move and reconstruct gather sites and holding facilities. Weather conditions are uncertain. Delays of one or more days may be necessary. We encourage you to monitor our website closely for the most up-to-date information. The BLM appreciates your patience.
If you’re interested in watching this gather, please contact Sarah Beckwith,sbeckwith@blm.gov, to be added to the anticipated visitors log. Only individuals listed on the visitors’ log will be contacted with daily meeting locations and times. Email contact is requested as cell phone service is unreliable in the Complex.
Please read the “Know Before You Go” fact sheet. The HMAs are in rugged and remote areas. Safety is our first priority and BLM staff will be available each public observation day to escort you into areas where you can safely view gather operations. We are providing the following information for your safety so you can be prepared for your visit.
Gather Reports
Saturday, November 3
Summary: The contractor and equipment arrived today and the temporary holding facility was constructed. Three trap locations were identified and the first trap, the Tin Cup Trap, was set up. This trap is located in the Muskrat Basin Herd Management Area.
Animals gathered: 0
Animals shipped: 0
Total Deaths Today: 0
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 0
Sunday, November 4
Summary: Gather operations commenced this morning at the Tin Cup Trap in the southern portion of the Muskrat Basin Herd Management Area (HMA) and ended at approximately 3 p.m. A total of 124 horses were gathered.
Animals gathered: 124
Animals shipped: 0
Total Deaths Today: 0
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 0
Monday, November 5
Summary: Gather operations began this morning at the Gas Hills Trap in the east-central portion of the Muskrat Basin HMA. A total of 166 horses were gathered, including seven horses from outside of the HMA.
Animals gathered: 166
Animals shipped: 42
Total Deaths Today: 1
Acute: 1*
Chronic/Pre-existing: 0
* A three-year old stud died today in the chute at the short term holding facility. The APHIS veterinarian on site performed a necropsy and determined that the horse suffered from a genetic defect which, with the additional stress of the gather, caused an aortic aneurysm. The APHIS veterinarian will complete a full report.
Tuesday, November 6
Summary: Gather operations continued this morning at the Gas Hills Trap in the east-central portion of the Muskrat Basin HMA. A total of 59 horses were gathered.
Animals gathered: 59
Animals shipped: 104
Total Deaths Today: 1
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 1*
* A two-year old bay mare came into the trap today with a previously broken and deformed left front leg. The leg was fractured in three places and badly twisted and curved. The mare’s body condition was also very poor and she likely would not have survived the winter. Because of the pre-existing injury and poor body condition, the mare was humanely euthanized.
Wednesday, November 7
Summary: Gather operations moved this morning to the Signor Ridge Trap in the Muskrat Basin HMA. A total of 62 horses were gathered. Gathering from the Muskrat Basin HMA is complete.
Animals gathered: 62
Animals shipped: 44
Total Deaths Today: 0
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 0
Thursday, November 8
Summary: Gather operations continued this morning at the Signor Ridge Trap. A total of 51 horses were gathered from the Rock Creek HMA. Gathering from the Rock Creek HMA is complete. A total of 96 studs were released back into Muskrat Basin HMA.
Animals gathered: 51
Animals shipped: 32
Total Deaths Today: 1
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 1*
Animals returned to home range: 96
* A bay stud with no teeth that was more than 30 years old came into the trap today. The horse’s body condition was extremely poor with a Henneke Score of less than one. It was determined, in conjunction with the APHIS veterinarian on site, that the horse would neither survive the trip to Rock Springs nor many more days out on the range. The horse was humanely euthanized.
Friday, November 9
Summary: Gathering was cancelled today due to high winds. A total of 77 mares were treated with PZP-22 fertility control and 105 horses, including the treated mares, were released back to their home ranges in the Muskrat Basin and Rock Creek HMAs.
Animals gathered: 0
Animals shipped: 13
Total Deaths Today: 0
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 0
Animals returned to home range: 105
Saturday, November 10
Summary: Gathering was cancelled today due to heavy fog and mild blizzard-like conditions.
Animals gathered: 0
Animals shipped: 0
Total Deaths Today: 0
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 0
Animals returned to home range: 0
Sunday, November 11
Summary: Gather operations moved this morning to the Carmody Lake Trap in the western portion of the Dishpan Butte HMA. A total of 43 horses were gathered. Five horses were released back into the western portion of the Dishpan Butte HMA.
Animals gathered: 43
Animals shipped: 0
Total Deaths Today: 0
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 0
Animals returned to home range: 5
Monday, November 12
Summary: Operations moved this morning to the Cedar Rim Trap to gather horses from the eastern portion of the Dishpan Butte HMA. A total of 55 horses were gathered. High winds shut down gathering by noon. Nine mares were treated with PZP-22 fertility control and 13 horses, including the treated mares, were released back to the range in the Rock Creek HMA. A total of 28 horses were shipped to the Rock Springs Wild Horse Holding Facility.
Animals gathered: 55
Animals shipped: 28
Total Deaths Today: 0
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 0
Animals returned to home range: 13
Tuesday, November 13
Summary: Operations continued this morning at the Cedar Rim Trap, gathering horses from the eastern portion of the Dishpan Butte HMA. A total of 44 horses were gathered and one released, completing gather operations in the Dishpan Butte HMA. A total of 27 horses were shipped to the Rock Springs Wild Horse Holding Facility.
Animals gathered: 44
Animals shipped: 27
Total Deaths Today: 1
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 1*
Animals returned to home range: 1
* A 21 year old bay stud that was blind in both eyes came to the trap today. Coupled with his blindness, the stud had a degraded body condition with a Henneke Score of less than three. It was determined, in conjunction with the APHIS veterinarian on site, that the horse should be humanely euthanized.
Wednesday, November 14
Summary: This morning, 24 horses were shipped to the Rock Springs Wild Horse Holding Facility. Twenty-nine mares were treated with PZP-22 fertility control and 65 horses, including the treated mares, were released to their home range in the Dishpan Butte HMA. A trap was set up in the Conant Creek HMA this afternoon and 70 horses were gathered, including 20 horses from outside the HMA.
Animals gathered: 70
Animals shipped: 24
Total Deaths Today: 0
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 0
Animals returned to home range: 65
Thursday, November 15
Summary: Gathering was completed in the Conant Creek HMA today, which completes gathering in the North Lander Complex. Eighty horses were gathered from the Poston Ranch Trap. In addition, 34 horses were shipped to the Rock Springs Wild Horse Holding Facility. A total of 33 studs were released to their home range in the Conant Creek HMA. Tomorrow, mares from the Conant Creek HMA will be treated with PZP-22 and released, and horses will be shipped to Rock Springs, completing gather operations in the North Lander Complex.
Animals gathered: 80
Animals shipped: 34
Total Deaths Today: 0
Acute: 0
Chronic/Pre-existing: 0
Animals returned to home range: 33
Friday, November 16
Summary: Operations are now complete in the North Lander Complex. Today, 55 horses were shipped to the Rock Springs Wild Horse Holding Facility. In addition, 28 mares were treated with PZP-22 and released to their home range in the Conant Creek HMA.
Animals gathered: 0
Animals shipped: 55
Total Deaths Today: 1
Acute: 1*
Chronic/Pre-existing: 0
Animals returned to home range: 28
* A seven-year old appaloosa stud from the Dishpan Butte HMA that had escaped the temporary holding facility earlier in the week, died from the stress of being re-captured.
Final Gather Summary: During two weeks of operations, 754 horses were gathered from the four HMAs in the North Lander Complex, 403 horses were shipped to the Rock Springs Wild Horse Holding Facility, 143 mares were treated with PZP-22 fertility control, and 346 horses, including the treated mares, were returned to their home ranges.
---
A death labeled as "acute" is when an animal dies or is euthanized due to acute injuries or medical conditions brought about by the gather and removal process including those that occur during capture, sorting and holding at the gather site. This term will include animals that die for known or unknown reasons thought to be related to gather activities.
A death labeled as "chronic/pre-existing" is when an animal dies or is euthanized for reasons related to chronic or pre-existing conditions such as body condition, lameness, serious physical defects, etc. This term will include animals that are euthanized for conditions not brought about by the gather activity.
Veterinary Reports
There are no veterinarian reports to display at this time.