MARK J. DEESING, ANIMAL BEHAVIOR & FACILITIES
DESIGN CONSULTANT FOR
GRANDIN LIVESTOCK
HANDLING SYSTEMS OBSERVES OUR ONAQUI WILD HORSE
GATHER
IN UTAH
Cattoor Livestock
Roundup, Inc is always looking for ways to
improve their
operation. In February Mark
Deesing an assistant for Temple Grandin came
to our Onaqui wild horse gather in Utah to
observe. We have, for several
years used
“Humane Livestock Handling” by Temple and Mark
as a guide for
our wranglers and our
facilities. We asked Mark to write a report
critiquing our facilities, both trap and
temporary holding, the actions of
the
wranglers, and the helicopter pilots, and the
stress of the wild
horses during a gather.
Here is Mark's report in it’s entirety.
February 26, 2012
Cattoor Livestock Roundup, Inc.
PO Box 289
Nephi, Utah
84648
SUBJECT: Assessment of Stress during
Gathering, Handling, and Transport of Wild
Horses
INTRODUCTION
At the request of Dave and Sue Cattoor:
Cattoor Livestock Roundup, Inc., Nephi, Utah,
we were invited to observe handling and
evaluate horse welfare during a roundup of wild
horses on February 18, 2012 at the BLM Onaqui
Herd Management Area, approximately 50
miles south-west of Tooele, Utah. Due to
scheduling difficulties, I was unable to attend
the
gather and asked my assistant, Mark Deesing
to travel to Utah and observe and record all
aspects of handling during the roundup. Mark
is qualified to access welfare of livestock
during
handling. He has worked for me as a facility
designer, animal behavior consultant and expert
on humane handling of livestock, wildlife,
and captive wildlife species since 1993.
Mark is also an expert horseman with
experience as a farrier and trainer.
Below is a summary of Mark’s observations and
recommendations, reviewed and
approved by me on Sunday, February 26, 2012.
I also had the opportunity to view the many
photographs and video Mark took during his
visit.
TRAP & CAPTURE PENS
February 18, 2012
5:00am, Tooele, Utah
A trap site was selected by the Cattoors
before the gather by flying the area in
a helicopter. The site was chosen carefully
using several criteria; it was close to the area
where the horses were found, close to a
natural route the horses travel, and it took
advantage of the natural terrain. In my
opinion, the trap site at Onaqui was ideal. The
wings
of the trap were constructed in a large
V-shape using a burlap mesh cloth attached to T-
posts. The catch pens were assembled at the
point of the wing funnel. One side of the wing
ended at a natural rock outcrop, the opposite
side flared outward for approximately 250
yards, creating the V-shaped funnel. The most
important feature of this trap site selection
was the up-hill direction horses were
travelling through the funnel into the capture
pens. The
trap pens were located just over the top of
the hill. Horses entering the trap were unable
to
see the pens, vehicles, and people stationed
near the pens. The up-hill direction of travel
also
served to slow the animals down before they
reached the trap pens. The two trap pens were
approximately 30 ft. X 30 ft., attached to an
alley leading to a stock trailer, or the
auxiliary
pen set up for holding foals (see diagram).
Because it is difficult for the pilot to
control the exact number of horses entering the
trap at one time, making two capture pens is
important to prevent overcrowding
which can lead to injury. The catch pens, the
sort pen and alley fences had a type of shade
cloth that was not completely solid. The
calming effect of solid, or partially sided
fences in handling systems is probably due to
a combination of factors, such as
blocking the view to an escape route and
preventing the animals from seeing people,
movement of vehicles and other distractions (Grandin,
2000). Not all capture sites are as well
suited as the site chosen at Onaqui. The
up-hill direction of travel into the wings of
the trap,
and the pen location out of the view of the
horses was very important. Although not every
site for a gather can be set up in such ideal
conditions, we recommend that these criteria
should be considered in selecting future trap
sites.
HELICOPTER GATHERING AND TRAPING
On the morning of the gather, the crew and I
met for breakfast in Tooele, Utah. From
there we drove the approximate 60 miles to
the trap site. After the trap was assembled, the
crew on the ground directed the helicopter
pilot to bring up the first group of horses. I
positioned myself on the top of a hill and
watched using high powered binoculars. I had a
clear and unobstructed view of the helicopter
and the horses. I was also in position to see
the
horses orient as the helicopter began to
approach.
Horses have panoramic vision which enables
them to move together in a herd and
constantly scan the surroundings for
predators or other dangers. When startled, their
eyes
and ears will quickly orient in the direction
of any novel sight or sound. Orienting responses
are accompanied by an internal state of
nervous system arousal (Boissey, 1995, Rogan &
LeDoux, 1996, Grandin & Deesing, 1998), and
alert the animal to possible danger. When the
helicopter approached the first group of
approximately 20, the horses first oriented, and
then took flight. The flight zone is a well
known and understood principle in animal
behavior.
The flight zone is the distance within which
a person (or helicopter) can approach an animal
before it moves away. Herd animals usually
turn and face a potential threat when it is
outside their flight zone, but when it enters
the flight zone the animal turns and moves away
(Grandin & Deesing, 1998). Genetic factors
influence individual flight sizes between
animals
of the same species or breed. For example, in
a large group of animals with similar genetics
and previous handling experiences, most
members of the group will have similar flight
distances, but a few individuals will have
either a very small or very large flight zone.
Flight
zone size is also strongly affected by
experience and learning. An animal that survives
a close
call with danger learns to be more wary of
similar dangers in the future and increases its
flight zone size accordingly.
From my position on the hill, I watched as
the helicopter pilot expertly used flight
zone principles to move the horses toward the
trap. The pilot first moved into the collective
flight zone of the herd moving in a direction
toward the trap. The horses started out running
fast but then slowed in response to the pilot
moving back to the edge of the flight zone. To
move a single animal, or to control the
movements of a large herd is done by alternately
entering and withdrawing from the edge of the
herd’s collective flight zone. Moving a herd
to the right is done by moving to the left
side of the collective flight zone. Moving a
herd to
the left is done by moving to the right side
of the collective flight zone, and slowing or
stopping movement is done by moving to the
front of the flight zone in the direction of
travel. The pilot was able to herd the horses
to the trap at alternating speeds between fast
trotting and fast and slow galloping.
On an interesting note, the path of the first
group of horses intersected with a
Pronghorn Antelope. The antelope joined the
horse herd and ran along almost up to the trap.
Small and flighty herd animals such as deer
and antelope have larger flight zones than
domestic herding animals, including those of
feral horses (Grandin, 1989). Given the fact
that
the top speed for Pronghorn antelope is far
faster than a horse (61 mph vs 45 mph), the
Pronghorn could have left the horses behind
if its flight zone was being too deeply
encroached on. This is testament to the
expertise of the pilot.
I did not see any sign of panic in the horses
moving toward or into the trap. Panic is
characterized by wild running in an erratic
manner with many changes in direction. The horse
herd strung out in a line with the fastest
first, or those individuals with the largest
flight
zones, and the slower with smaller flight
zones at the rear. Also in the rear was one
small
foal that never lost sight of its mother. The
foal was clearly having trouble keeping up, but
was not left behind or abandoned.
As the horses got close to the trap, they
could see a few vehicles and a number of
people on the hill above the trap. They
attempted to change direction a few times to
avoid
going into the trap, causing the pilot to
move closer into the animals flight zone. The
pilot
flew the helicopter to the left and right and
forwards the closer the horses came to the point
of the trap. Deep encroachment of the flight
zone at the point of the trap wings was
necessary by the pilot to keep the horses
from turning back from the trap. The capture
crew
also helped with this critical point of the
capture by releasing a tamed horse, called a
"Judas
horse," which has been trained to lead wild
horses into a pen or corral. Once the horses
were
herded into an area near the holding pen, the
Judas horse is released. Its job is then to
move to the head of the herd and lead them
into a confined area. Two of the capture crew
were concealed at the point of the trap
funnel and quickly closed the gate of the first
catch
pen.
WEATHER CONDITIONS & TEMPERATURE
On the day of the gather I attended at Onaqui
HMA, the low temperature in Tooele,
Utah was 23F, and the high was 41F. The skies
were clear and sunny with light wind. In a
report from the Humane Society of the United
States (HSUS) to the Bureau of Land
Management (July 13, 2011), the HSUS
recommended that BLM refrain from conducting
helicopter drive trapping gathers in
temperatures above 90F and below 32F. It is
the opinion of Dr. Temple Grandin and myself
that gathers in temperatures at or above 90F
should always be avoided, and the low
temperature should be adjusted to 20F.
The thermo neutral zone (TNZ) for horses is
defined as the range of temperatures in
which the horse maintains its body
temperature with little or no energy
expenditure.
Essentially, the TNZ is the temperature range
wherein the horse does not have to work to
raise or lower its body temperature (Kentucky
Equine Research Staff, 2011). The TNZ for a
given horse is influenced by the temperatures
to which the horse has been accustomed. Full
acclimatization takes about 21 days, but
horses usually adapt to temperatures in 10-14
days.
The wide range of the lower critical
temperature (LCT) in adult horses extends from
41° F (5°
C) for horses in mild climates to 5° F (-15°
C) in natural-coated/unclipped horses adapted to
very cold temperatures. Young horses and
foals have higher LCT than adult horses.
Although the 20F or above recommended by us
is above the TMZ for horses adapted
to cold temperatures, and is well within the
temperatures at Onaqui HMA on February
18, 2012, temperatures at or below 20F are
too cold for people and equipment to function
properly and safely.
DETERMINATION OF STRESS LEVELS
A precise determination of stress levels is
impossible without direct physiological
measures; ie, heart rate, respiration rate,
and stress hormone levels in the blood. In the
absence of physiological measures, behavioral
observations are a good substitute. There are
two types of stress during helicopter gather
and capture. The first is physical stress from
exertion caused by running distance. The
second is psychological stress (fear stress),
moderated by the anti-predator response.
Behavioral assessment of physical stress can be
predicted by animals slowing way down,
showing less attention to the pressure of
the helicopter, stumbling, falling behind, or
collapsing. Psychological (fear) stress is more
difficult to access through behavioral
observation. Emotional states (how scared were
the
horses?) is subjective and difficult to
quantify. All the same, behavioral observations
can be
helpful. I did not observe any wild running
(panic), or self-destructive behavior during
this
gather. None of the horses ran off a cliff,
or failed to detour away from hazardous ground
conditions, or froze in response to the
helicopter deep in their flight zone.
In order to simplify my summary of the stress
response of these animals during the
gather and catch process, imagine stress
levels like the level of mercury rising in a
thermometer. For hypothetical purposes,
imagine the mercury low on the thermometer
while the horses were resting or grazing.
This represents the low level of stress
motivated
vigilance required in this species to always
be on the alert to potential danger, at rest or
while grazing. At the detection by sight or
sound of the helicopter, and during the
orienting
response, the mercury on the horses stress
thermometer begins to rise. The short term
stress
hormone Cortisol is released from the adrenal
glands to fuel the muscles for the flight
response and all the senses go on high alert.
The short term stress response is variable
between individuals within the herd. Genetic
factors influencing such things as nervous
system reactivity, and temperament, and the
complex interaction of these factors combined
with the effects of environment, upbringing,
and learning account for the differences in
degrees during the orienting response (Grandin
& Deesing, 1998). Behavioral Genetics is a
complex subject. Some of the horses may have
been captured before and hearing the sound
of the helicopter caused the mercury on the
thermometer to rise before the helicopter
comes into view. For others, the rise in
temperature at the first sight and sound of the
helicopter was novel and caused a rise in
temperature similar to other novel threats.
At the onset of the orienting response and
the anti-predator flight response, the
mercury rises on the thermometer to
moderately high , maybe higher in some
individuals.
The initial threat of the helicopter
represents the greatest threat. Predators first
stalk and
then attack. It is during the initial attack
stage that prey animals feel most threatened and
are under high levels of psychological
stress.
During the run, depending on such factors as
ambient temperature, the terrain, the
physical shape of the horses, distance to
run, previous experience, and temperamental
factors, all play a role in the amount of
experience required by pilots to complete a
gather
without causing unacceptable levels of both
physiological and psychological stress.
In my opinion, the horses experienced a high
rise in stress at the beginning of the run, but
after the initial rush, the horses began to
settle into a feeling of not being attacked, to
one of
being chased, and stress levels lowered. When
the pilot needed to turn the herd and
flew into and out of the flight zone may have
caused the collective stress levels in the
herd to rise and fall. Even so, at no time
during the run to the trap did I observe what I
would
consider critically high stress levels. From
my vantage point, I saw no wild running, no
self-
destructive behavior, no falling, and no
injuries. Overall, I considered the capture
process as
moderately stressful in the majority of
horses and very stressful in the rest. Well
done!
HANDLING AT THE CATCH PENS
At the point of the trap wings, the capture
crew rushed to close the gates on the catch
pens while the pilot was encroaching deeply
in the flight zone of the herd preventing
them from turning back. Some people call this
a stampede. I call it controlled movement
under difficult conditions. Stress levels
were elevated from the resting rate during the
run to
the trap and up to the point of closing the
gates to the pens, but not yet near dangerous
levels. Even though the horses entered the
capture pen wet tired, I was surprised at how
quickly they began to settle down.
At the point of capture, the stress of the
gather is complicated by the stress of
confinement. Confinement in a species used to
having space is stressful, in addition
to the stress which can be caused by crowding
too many animals in too small a space.
This is social stress. Horses are a social
animal in tuned to the social nuances of the
individuals within their band group. Research
with cattle and other livestock species
show that social stressors such as isolation
and over-crowding are as stressful to
animals as restraint (Grandin, 1997).
Crowding different bands can also raise stress
levels. For
the stallions, the stress level may rise even
higher than mares and yearlings. The stallions
have an instinctual duty to protect their
band.
All these factors determine the attention
required in the design and layout of the
capture pens. Since there are no industry
standards outlined for the size and square
footage
for horses held in short term holding pens,
estimating the pen size for horses can be based
on
the industry standards for short term holding
of cattle, adjusted for horses . The industry
standard for short term holding of cattle is
20 sq. ft. per animal. I estimate the square
footage required for holding horses for short
term following capture at 60 sq. ft. per
animal. I consider this overestimating on the
side of caution. A 900 sq.ft. pen holding 45
head
of cattle allows enough room for all the
cattle to lay down if they want, and provides
enough
room for handlers to safely enter the pen to
move the cattle out. A 900 sq. ft. pen holding
no
more than 20 horses is enough to prevent
over-crowding and allow the horses to move
around enough to avoid fighting. The third
pen can be smaller in size to hold young colts
and fillies. Overcrowding must be prevented
to reduce social stress, and especially to
prevent
injury to the foal’s and young horses. Mixed
bands don’t get along. The defensive fighting I
observed is a result of the social stress
caused by mixing bands.
The Cattoor Livestock Roundup crew knew by
experience the importance of not
overcrowding the horses. The largest number
of horses I observed herded into the catch pens
was no more than 20 horses. The number was
small enough to keep small bands together,
but not too many to mix several bands
together. I was surprised and impressed. The
second
catch pen was almost immediately used by the
capture crew to sort any overtly aggressive
animals away from the rest of the group.
Reducing the potential risk of injury is
paramount
to insure humane handing.
From the second catch pen, horses were moved
forward into a 8 ft. wide sort alley by
handlers outside the fence shaking sticks
with a plastic bag taped to the end. At the
entrance to the 8 ft. wide alley, a sort gate
was situated to direct any young colts or
fillies into a pen to avoid the threat of
injury in a crowded pen, and to be held
separately and subsequently loaded into a
separate compartment of the stock trailer.
When the horses first arrived at the catch
pens they were wet with sweat and
breathing hard. All the same, I was surprised
at how quickly they settled down and most
were almost dry before they were loaded on
trailers.
REMOVING DISTRACTIONS
Removing distractions means making sure any
non-essential people and equipment
are moved away from the trap site. We
understand the public right to observe the trap
and
capture process, but proximity of the public
viewing area may at times have an effect on the
willingness of horses to enter the area.
To insure humane handling, trap sites must be
free of unnecessary distractions.
TRAILER LOADING FROM THE CATCH PENS
The Cattoor crew prefers to build the trap
and temporary holding facility at the same
location. However, at the Onoqui Herd
Management Area this was not possible due to wet
ground conditions. This prevented them from
trucking equipment and portable fence
panels to the site. The temporary holding
pens were therefore assembled at a site
approximately 10 miles away. The horses were
loaded into stock trailers and transported to
the holding pens, or transported about 1 mile
away and transferred from the stock trailers
onto a semi-truck trailer then transported to
the holding pens.
At a gather I observed several years ago in
Wyoming, loading the horses on trailers
was one of the most stressful procedure I
observed. The Cattoor Livestock gather
crew had a clever yet simple solution to this
problem. A trench approximately 1 foot
deep was dug in the ground for the wheels on
both sides of the trailer to back into.
This lowered the back of the trailer to just
inches off the ground. Even though
ruminant animals have depth perception, their
ability to perceive depth at ground
level while moving with their heads up is
probably poor. Grandin (1989), suggests that
there
may be an extensive blind area at ground
level and moving livestock may not be able to
use
motion parallax or retinal disparity cues to
perceive depth. To see depth on the ground, the
animal would have to stop and lower its head.
This may explain why livestock often lower
their heads and stop to look at strange
things on the ground. Cattle, pigs, sheep and
horses
will often balk and refuse to walk over a
drain grate, hose, puddle, shadow or change in
flooring surface or texture (Grandin, 1989).
The Cattoor Roundup crew also used specially
built stock trailers with pipe rails rather
than solid sides common in most stock trailer.
The
open sided trailers appeared less confining
to the horses and worked real well.
At one point during the loading procedure, a
trailer was backed into position at the
end of the sort alley and the rear gate was
opened. Before the handlers even had a chance to
move behind the horses, a group of six or
seven horses loaded on the trailer by
themselves.
When I showed the video I recorded of this to
Temple Grandin she was amazed at how
quietly and easily the horses entered the
trailer. At the Wyoming gather site I visited
several
years ago, almost every horse balked at the
step up into the trailers.
“As with most wild animals, any effort to
capture, handle, restrain, and transport wild
horses, no matter how carefully planned and
executed, will inevitability cause a certain
amount of stress and discomfort for the
animals involved, and under some circumstances,
cause injuries, illnesses, and deaths” (HSUS
report to the BLM, 2011). I agree with this
statement in the report by the Humane
Society. All the same, the level of stress in
the horses
gathered at Oniqua HMA did not exceed the
stress levels I have observed by other livestock
species during handling or restraint. Some
individual horses experienced higher stress
levels
than others, but the percentage of highly
agitated horses was less than 10% overall. There
were no life threatening injuries observed
during the gathering and entry into the catch
pens, only bite wounds and minor skin lesions
caused during close confinement in the trap
pens. The Cattoor Livestock Roundup, Inc.,
did an excellent job handling during the trap
and capture process.
HANDLING THE TEMPORARY HOLDING PENS
One hundred and fifty-five (155) horses were
gathered at the Oniqua HMA. I observed
approximately half of this number trapped and
loaded on trailers. At that time, I drove from
the trap to the temporary holding pens to
observe these horses as they arrived and were
sorted. The temporary holding pens were
assembled to include a restraint box, single
file
alley leading to the restraint box, a 6-way
sorting gate system, 6 sorting pens, and
unloading/loading areas for stock trailers
and semi-trucks. The horses were unloaded at the
holding pens from either the stock trailer or
semi truck into a central alley containing a
single
file chute and a restraint box.
The horses were moved into single file 3 or 4
at a time. When more than this number
were crowded into single file they were more
likely to become frantic. It is important
to instruct handlers to not overcrowd horses
in pens or handling areas. About 5 to 10 percent
would rear, back up, kick, charge forward, or
freeze. This was caused when handlers entered
deep into their flight zone. Approximately 10
to 20 percent were completely calm and moved
through the single file chute into restraint
with no fear reactions observed. The remaining
horses had reactions intermediate between the
two extremes. It is important to train
handlers to move back from a horse’s flight
zone when it starts to get agitated in a chute.
The Cattoor Roundup crew was very experienced
handling horses at the holding
pens. Two people were positioned at the
restraint box, and one person moving horses
through the single file chute. No electric
cattle prods were used. There was no yelling,
and
handler movements were slow and deliberate.
The only driving aids used were flag sticks
waved behind the horses to move them forward.
In the restraint box, the horses were aged,
sexed and sorted into similar groups. This
was a capture and release operation. Mares were
treated the next day with an
immunocontraception vaccine intended to reduce
population
growth rates, then released.
The previous experience of an animal will
affect how it will react to handling
(Grandin,1989). The idea of training an
animal to voluntarily accept restraint is a new
concept
to some people. Animals that are handled
gently can be trained to voluntarily accept
restraint in a comfortable device (Grandin,
2000). It is very important that an animal's
first
experience with a new person, corral, or
vehicle is a good one. If an animal's first
experience
with something new is bad the animal may
develop a permanent fear memory. Animals are
very specific in how they perceive events
around them. Since animals do not have
language, these memories will be in the form
of pictures, sounds, or smells. Animals can
instantly recognize the voice of a familiar
trusted person. They may also become frightened
when they hear the voice of a person who
abused them. They also make associations such as
people in blue coveralls are "safe" and
people in white lab coats do painful procedures.
A person that an animal associates with a
painful or frightening experience may have
difficulty training or working with the
animal. The animal may be easier to train if a
new
person works with it. With this in mind, the
importance of reducing stress during the first
gathering experience will affect the behavior
horses during any subsequent gathers, or
during handling Reducing stress during the
trap and capture process is very important.
Stress
is cumulative. If horses are highly
stressed during the trap and capture process,
this will raise
the level of stress experienced during
loading, transport, and subsequent handling at
the
temporary pens. at the long term holding
facilities, and the behavior of the horses
following
adoption.
CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Throughout the entire process, trap and
capture, sorting, loading, un-loading, and
handling at the temporary pens was conducted
by the Cattoor Livestock Roundup crew with
patience, a genuine care for the welfare of
the horses, and professionalism. I did not
observe
any aspect of the gather I found unacceptable
from an animal welfare standpoint, or any
practices or procedures I would consider
inhumane.
The high standard of care demonstrated by the
Cattoor crew can be assured by
documenting and recording all procedures
during a roundup; horse numbers, ecology, horse
gather history, age, sex, foal age, health,
existing injuries, injuries sustained during the
gather, transport assessments, death losses,
road conditions, and weather conditions.
People
manage better what they measure. Video
monitoring of animal operations is a good way to
ensure humane handling is taking place on a
daily basis. Video cameras mounted in
helicopters and in the capture and holding
pens can also render the activists videos as
simply
nothing more than proof that your business
“walks the walk” when it comes to upholding
animal welfare standards.
__________________ __________________
Temple Grandin Mark Deesing
REFERENCES AND ADDITIONAL READING
Grandin, T. (2000) Behavioral Principles of
Handling Cattle and Other Grazing Animals Under
Extensive Conditions. In: Livestock Handling
and Transport (CABI Publishing)
Biossy, A. (1995) Fear and Fearfulness in
Animals. Quarterly Review of Biology 70,
165-191
Rogan, M.T., and LeDoux, J.E. (1996)
Emotion:Systems, cells, and synaptic plasticity.
Cell (Cambridge, Mass.) 85, 369-475
Grandin, T., and Deesing, M.J. (1998)
Genetics and Behavior during Handling,
Restraint, and Herding. In: Genetics and the
Behavior of Domestic Animals (Academic
Press)
Grandin, T. (1989) Behavioral Principles of
Livestock Handling. (Professional Animal
Scientist)
Hazard, H., Boyles, S.L., and Hopkins, H.
(2011) Recommendations on the Bureau of Land
Management’s Standard Operating Procedures for
Wild Horse and Burro Gather Operations.
A Report to the Bureau of Land
Management-Wild Horse and Burro Program
The Humane Society of the United States
Kentucky Equine Research (February 25, 2011.
Nutrition and Health Daily. Lower
Critical Temperatures for Horses.
Heird, J.C., and Deesing, M.J. (1998) Genetic
Effects of Horse Behavior. In: Genetics and
the Behavior of Domestic Animals (Academic
Press)
Grandin, T. (1997) Assessment of Stress
During Handling and Transport. Journal of
Animal Science, volume 75, 249-257
Here is a
link to the above report in a downloadable rich
text format document.
Temple Grandin's cover letter
Please do not use or reproduce these documents
without permission from us or Temple Grandin.