Roundup Report: Devil's Garden Plateau Wild Horse Territory
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On October 28, 2024, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) began a helicopter roundup of wild horses in the Devil’s Garden Plateau Wild Horse Territory. The USFS has contracted C.D. Warner Livestock LLC to reduce the population from 723 horses to between 206 and 402. This target range achieves the Forest Service’s unscientific Appropriate Management Level (AML) established in the agency's 2013 management plan.
AWHC is on the ground documenting on this roundup. Below are our boots on the ground reports
October 28, 2024
Weather: 27-42°F with fog, snow, rain and hail.
Summary: The trap site, concealed by surrounding trees, was barely visible from the public observation point. AWHC’s observer was able to document two horses evading capture.
Total captured today: 15 (5 studs, 5 mares, 3 foals)*According to USFS report
October 29, 2024
Weather: 22-44°F
Summary: Although close to the trap site, the area remained obstructed by trees and offered limited viewing. Captured horses were shipped directly to Double Devil Corrals for short-term holding.
Total captured today: 21 (9 stallions, 7 mares, 5 foals)*According to observer report
October 30, 2024
Weather: 30-50°F
Summary: At the trap site, thick tree cover concealed operations from public view. Horses were shipped directly to Double Devil Corrals, where they stood in stagnant water and mud. An AWHC observer documented one horse with a fresh eye injury and some horses with radio collars (pictured below).
Total captured today: 13 horses captured (6 mares, 5 stallions, 2 foals)*According to observer report
October 31, 2024
Weather: 32-43°F
Summary: Horses were transported directly to Double Devil Corrals, where they were once again left standing in pools of water and mud. During one run, three horses managed to evade capture (see image below).
Total captured today: 11 (4 mares, 3 stallions, 3 foals)*According to observer report
November 1, 2024
Weather: 32-47°F
Summary: Today's operation provided no public observation of the trap site, loading process, or transport trailers. The horses were shipped straight to the Double Devil Corrals, where they were sorted into muddy pens.
Total captured today: 14 (6 mares, 5 stallions, 3 foals)
November 2, 2024
Weather: 33-44°F, mix of rain and snow.
Summary: At today's operation the trap site, loading, and transport were not visible to the public. Observers were not allowed to go to short-term holding (Double Devil Corrals). According to staff, the mares fitted with radio collars are part of a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research project and are expected to be returned to their original habitat upon its completion.
Total captured today: 12 (6 mares, 5 stallions, 1 foals)
November 3, 2024
Weather: Extremely cold, wind chill.
Summary: Today's operation provided little to no visibility of the trap site, loading, transport, or short-term holding (Double Devil Corrals). At the corrals, an AWHC observer documented several stallions agitated and fighting. Another stallion was anxiously pacing and excessively crying for his bandmates.
Total captured today: Around 22 horses (at least 1 foal)
November 5, 2024
Weather: Low 50s°F, chilled down quickly by afternoon.
Summary: The dense terrain severely obscured visibility, with observers catching only fleeting glimpses of horses being pursued. By the roundup’s end, it was too dark to document temporary holding.
Total captured today: Approximately 10 Horses
November 6, 2024
Weather: Cold in the morning, milder later in the day.
Summary: Despite a public viewing area near the trap, dense timber obscured the site completely. Horses were only brought in during the final run, and darkness precluded observers from attending temporary holding.
Total captured today: 6 (4 mares, 2 stallions, 0 foals)
November 7, 2024
Weather: 18-41°F, sunny skies and wind.
Summary: The observation viewpoint was positioned behind the loading area, limiting visibility of the alleyway and partially obscuring the trap’s wings due to a hill. However, horse leaping over the trap’s jute and wranglers roping two horses. Temporary holding facilities, situated on private land at Goicoechea Ranch, allowed observers to tour but restricted their view of the horses, as tarps covered the corrals.
Daily total*According to BLM report
- Captured: 159 (75 Stallions, 55 Mares, and 29 Foals)
1 Death.*According to BLM report
- 8-year-old Bay stallion euthanized due to physical defect -- severe sway back.