Fewer Wild Horses Counted on Challis District
A recent count of wild horses in the Challis Herd Management Area indicates that a BLM program to reduce fertility among the herd’s mares may be working, according to an agency representative. The count, conducted by three observers in a helicopter on February 23, followed a pattern set by the U.S. Geological Survey.
The Challis Herd Management Area spans approximately 240 square miles south of Challis, bordered by the Salmon River to the north, the East Fork of the Salmon River to the west, a ridge between Herd Creek and Road Creek to the south, and U.S. Highway 93 to the east.
According to the Challis Field Office website, the wild horses near Challis originated from livestock brought by miners and ranchers around 1870. The BLM has determined that the area can support 185 wild horses while accommodating other land uses and resource values.
Kevin Lloyd, a wild horse specialist with the BLM’s Challis Field Office, stated that the previous count in 2014 recorded 203 adult horses. The recent count showed 225 adult horses and 15 foals. These raw numbers are being adjusted by a statistician at Colorado State University to account for potential double counts and missed horses, with adjusted figures expected in a few months.
The natural population growth rate in the Challis herd is 17 percent per year, which would suggest a current count of 278 adult horses. "Overall, the general population is pretty healthy," Lloyd said. "There are fewer out there than we anticipated."
The BLM has been conducting a fertility-control program on the herd since 2004, with roundups in 2004, 2009, and 2012 aiming to gather 80 to 85 percent of the herd. All mares over two years old captured were treated with an anti-fertility vaccine known as porcine zona pellucida (PZP), which blocks fertilization by distorting the shape of the mares' eggs. The vaccine's effects last about three years.
One goal of the population counts is to assess the effectiveness of the fertility-control program. "We’ll continue with the management process that we’ve had in the past, but it’s good to know what we have out there and what’s happening with the herd," Lloyd said.
The national wild horse program is conducting fewer roundups, and the next gather and fertility treatments on the Challis herd are not expected for several years. The herd size has been significantly reduced since 1979, when 2,119 horses were captured and 1,875 were removed for adoption. Since then, 13 more roundups have occurred, with the most recent in 2012 capturing 267 horses and removing 150.
According to a BLM news release, wild horses and burros exceeding a Westwide level of 26,715 are subject to removal under the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. The estimated wild horse and burro population as of March 1, 2015, was 58,150, an 18 percent increase from 2014, exceeding the appropriate management level by 31,435.
The roundups have been controversial, with opponents claiming they primarily aim to provide more forage on public land for cattle and sheep. Currently, more than 47,000 off-range horses and burros are cared for in off-range corrals or pastures at a cost of $49 million a year, accounting for 65 percent of the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program budget.
"The ability to place horses in good homes has slowed down," Lloyd said. An untrained animal generally costs $125, and each horse or burro placed into private care saves taxpayers nearly $50,000, according to the BLM.
An adoption event will be held in Nampa on April 17, at the Idaho Horse Expo, Ford Idaho Horse Park, 16200 Idaho Center Blvd.
Originally posted by Idaho Mountain Express