Sulphur roundup: 604 Utah wild horses now captured

/ Featured, In The News, News, Roundups

Two Sulphur HMA wild horses escape from the trap area on Saturday morning. All photos by Steve Paige.

On Saturday, 58 wild horses were captured, including two that were roped and led into the trap. Two others were euthanized, according to the Bureau of Land Management:

  • a 3 year-old bay mare with “multi-limb lameness and poor prognosis for recovery”;
  • a 20 year-old bay mare with a body score of 2 on a 10-point scale in a weak condition and poor prognosis for improvement.

Of the wild horses that have died, 12 have been euthanized. A 13th broke its neck while trying to escape. Earlier in the roundup, another wild horse also collided with a contractor’s truck well away from the trap site but it has not been found.

On Saturday, trapping began in temperatures of about 10 degrees. Among those captured before the day was done: A family band photographed in its final minutes together (see photos below). Later, the wild horses would be sorted in pens by sex and age and likely separated forever.

The BLM plans to capture about 700 wild horses from the Horse Management Area 50 miles west of Milford, Utah, by Jan. 31.

About 300 of the young wild horses will be permanently separated from their family bands and put up for adoption. Those not adopted will be moved to long-term holding facilities, according to the agency.

About 400 of the older wild horses will be re-released, including 100 to 150 mares treated with the fertility control vaccine PZP-22.

The roundup is part of a BLM plan to reduce the Sulphur HMA’s population to an Appropriate Management Level of 165 wild horses over a six- to 10-year period. In March 2016, the wild horse population on the 265,675-acre HMA was estimated at 957 head.

The BLM also justifies roundups near State Highway 21 as being conducted for public safety reasons. None of the wild horses captured during the first two days will be among those released because they were captured near the highway. There is a proposal to install a fence there, but it’s unlikely to go up sooner than next month.

Photos from Jan. 28

How to attend:

Members of the public who wish to view the roundup should call the BLM’s gather hotline at (801) 539-4050 for daily updates.

Participants must provide their own transportation, water and food.

The BLM recommends footwear and clothing suitable for harsh winter weather. Binoculars and four-wheel drive, high clearance vehicles are also strongly recommended. No public restrooms will be available once the tour begins.

You can help:

Please consider a contribution to the Wild Horse Defense Fund, which makes it possible for Return to Freedom to have humane observers on the ground at roundups. Having an active voice has proven valuable for holding BLM and contractors accountable for the humane handling of wild horses, pressing for improvements to humane standards, and educating policymakers and the public about how tax dollars are being used.