Onaqui’s roundup ends with 307 horses in the process of adoption

126 more of Utah’s beloved wild horses to be released in Tooele County

Utah’s Onaqui Mountains are so far largely free of wild horses – much to the delight of county commissioners and rural ranchers, but much to the dismay of horse enthusiasts who revere these particular groups of animals. freely.

The Bureau of Land Management concluded its controversial roundup of the Onaqui herd a week early Sunday, after removing 435 horses from public lands in Tooele County.

Over a five-day period starting July 14, helicopters operated by a private contractor drove horses out of the public range into paddocks with dozens of activists watching and photographing from a remote hill. While horse roundups take place several times a year across the West, horse advocates have castigated the Onaqui rally because these free-roaming animals are considered a “national treasure,” loved by horse enthusiasts throughout the West. whole world.

Foals made up 47, or 11%, of the horses gathered, the BLM reported, although activists believe the BLM inflated the number of foals. The BLM defines foals as young horses born since January 1st.

The agency admitted that one horse died in the roundup and another was released for an undisclosed reason. A young mare suffered a broken ankle after being kicked while horses were herded into a paddock, according to BLM spokeswoman Lisa Reid and had to be euthanized.

One official also admitted that most of the horses removed from the course were in fairly good body condition, contrary to previous reports that many Onaqui horses suffered from a lack of water and fodder due to overcrowding and drought. .

Utah’s next roundup is scheduled to begin Aug. 1, when the BLM plans to remove 295 horses from the Conger herd that roams western Millard County.

Free-range wild horses and burros, descended from domesticated equines brought to the West by Spanish explorers and Anglo settlers centuries ago, have been protected by federal law since 1971. It is the job of the BLM to manage these animals, whose populations can double every six years in the absence of predators and legal hunting.

To control the number of horses, the agency relies on periodic roundups, despite objections from advocates who believe the horses belong to the lineup. These advocates accuse the BLM of bowing to the livestock industry and ignoring or ignoring cheaper and more humane solutions, such as the use of non-invasive fertility control treatments.

Such treatments were administered to around 60 Onaqui mares who were taken off the course last week.

Some 126 Onaqui horses were selected from the trapping sites to be separated and ultimately returned to range, Reid said. Using dart guns, BLM staff administered a fertility vaccine called PZP to the mares.

“We have a pilot program to see if we treat 80% [of the mares annually], is it an effective tool of population control, ”said Reid.

This experimental group, which included an equal number of men and women, was taken to a corral run by a private contractor in Sutherland. There they are to be examined and hair samples taken for genetic testing. They are due to be sent back to the Onaqui Mountains next week.

The remaining 307 horses were taken to the BLM corral in Delta where they will be put up for adoption in October. Those who are not adopted will join thousands of others in enclosures out of reach for life.