Antelope Roundup: October 2-5, 2012 Eyewitness Report

October 3, 2012

AWHC Contributor

On Tuesday, October 2, 2012, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) began a massive plan to remove 3,500 wild horses from public lands over the next four months. This report provides an eyewitness account from Deniz Bolbol of the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign) during the Antelope and Antelope Valley Herd Management Areas (HMAs) roundup in northeastern Nevada, where 200 horses were targeted for removal.

The BLM public observation box restricted public visibility, making it difficult to document the roundup. The trap's mouth was blocked by a hill, and observers were not positioned high enough to see many parts of the valley where horses were chased by helicopters.

Tragically, a stallion broke his leg while trying to escape the trap pen after a wrangler approached with a whip. Although not fully captured in the video, the incident is documented in AWHC’s footage. Additionally, some horse bands were repeatedly run back and forth, causing a young foal to trip and fall. The foal managed to get up and continued to evade the helicopter.

Timeline and Details

Day 1: October 2, 2012, Antelope HMA (trap site #1)

Stallion is killed after jumping to escape trap pens and breaking his leg.

Key personnel included Ben Noyes, the on-the-ground lead for the roundup trap pen, Ruth Thompson at the temporary holding pens, and Chris Hanefeld for public relations.

5:00 am: Met BLM at Shellbourn Station on Highway 93 (north of Ely, Nevada).
6:15 am: Arrived at trap site.
6:35 am: 4 horses and 1 foal chased by helicopter in the valley. Multiple attempts to stampede horses into the trap.
6:50 am: 5 horses captured: 4 horses stampeded into trap, foal left behind and later roped by wranglers.
7:10 am: 4 horses in northern valley brought around to the east.
7:23 am: 3 horses captured: 2 adults and 1 foal chased into the trap.
8:00 am: Estimated 9 horses captured: ~8 adults chased into trap, foal roped and taken to trap pen.
8:10 am: 3 horses captured.
8:25 am: First trailer leaves for temporary holding in northern valley.
8:31 – 8:38 am: Helicopter refuels.
8:50 am: Helicopter has horses in far northern valley.
9:24 am: 6 horses captured: 5 adults and 1 foal chased into trap pen.
9:32 am: Trailer leaves for temporary holding. Ruth leaves for temporary holding.
10:07 am: Helicopter chasing 2 groups (7 adults + 1 foal and 6 adults + 1 foal) in southern valley.
10:18 am: 7 horses captured: 6 adults and 1 foal.
10:30 am: 8 horses captured: 7 adults and 1 foal.
10:30 am: Helicopter refuels.
10:35 am: Stallion jumps trap pen, breaks leg after wrangler approaches with whip. Stallion roped and put in trailer.
11:00 am: BLM drives trailer to temporary holding where stallion will be euthanized.

Due to the situation, Deniz Bolbol left the trap pens to go to temporary holding. When Bolbol requested to return to the trap site, BLM refused, also denying permission to walk around the temporary holding pens for a better view of the horses.