One of 16 wild horses captured on Sunday stands in a temporary holding pen. All photos by Steve Paige for RTF.
Update: To view video from the Frisco roundup, please click here: https://vimeo.com/199877227
Sixteen wild horses were captured on Sunday during the final day of the helicopter roundup at the Frisco Horse Management Area in Utah.
Altogether, 82 wild horses were captured starting on Jan. 6, according to the Bureau of Land Management. No deaths were reported during the roundup, which has been grounded several times due to winter weather.
The wild horses captured on Sunday were taken to temporary holding pens for sorting by sex and age. A few of the mares seemed angry about being penned up together, after just being separated from their family bands (see: photo five, below), according to RTF humane observer Steve Paige. Meanwhile, the stud pen (photo six) had plenty of color — and confusion.
The wild horses will be transported on Monday to the Axtell Off-Range Corrals, where another 113 Frisco horses gathered in July are also being held.
Some will be returned to the range in late February fitted with radio collars and global positioning system tracking devices as part of a population-control experiment.
Wild horses not returned to the HMA are to be made available for adoption, according to BLM. Those not adopted will be sent to long-term holding facilities.
Photos from Jan. 15:
Previously:
Frisco HMA: Eight Utah wild horses captured; total reaches 66, Jan. 15, 2017
Frisco HMA roundup resumes: Eight Utah wild horses captured, Jan. 13, 2017
Frisco, Reveille roundups postponed, Jan. 10, 2017
Frisco HMA roundup: 13 wild horses captured in Utah, Jan. 9, 2017
Frisco HMA roundup: 37 wild horses captured in Utah, Jan. 8, 2017
150 Utah wild horses to be captured as part of experiment, Dec. 30, 2016
Chronicle of the Frisco HMA roundup, Utah, July 13, 2016
You can help:
Please consider a contribution to the Wild Horse Defense Fund, which makes it possible for RTF 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.