Snowbirds delight in Arizona’s wild burros. Oatman, Arizona, depends on downtown burro traffic to bring tourists, carrots for the burros, and credit cards for the merchants.
But a little farther south in the Lake Havasu area, the charm has worn off for some. The BLM says Lake Havasu burros must go.
“Impacting local roadways and damaging property”
What’s the problem with Shrek’s best friend? The Bureau of Land Management says, “Burros are impacting local roadways and damaging private property.” The particular area isn’t in Lake Havasu City proper, but just a bit north of town on Highway 95.
The BLM says it will begin “gathering” the critters this week. The aim of the roundup is to remove around 100 wild burros using a “bait trap method,” which tricks the braying beasts to coming into a corral with enticing food and water.
Says a BLM news release, “Animals removed as part of this gather will be transported to the Florence Wild Horse and Burro Training and Off-range Corral, where they will be made available for adoption or purchase through the Wild Horse and Burro Adoption and Sales Program.”
Burros must go—Roundups may not end the matter
Apparently, the roundup isn’t the only trick the BLM has up its sleeve. “The BLM is currently working through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process required to implement a longer-term plan within the Lake Havasu, Alamo, and Big Sandy Herd Management Areas,” the release continues. The plan “may include one or more gathers to remove excess wild burros, strategic deployment of fertility controls, and/or other management activities in the coming years.”
Information about the BLM’s analysis of the issue is available online. Click here.
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Congress reins in the BLM on wild horse management
##RVT1169b
The government fixing something. A contradiction if ever there was one.
Thank you, Russ and Tina! 🙂 Seems a bit sad, but I guess if the government thinks they sre a problem, then they probably have been a problem for months, if not years. 🤔😯 Thanks again, have a great day, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
I’m surprised they didn’t make a deal with Nevada to move them to the Marietta Wild Burro Range Between Hawthorne and Beatty. When I was still working (truck driver) I would go through Beatty in the wee hours of the morning and sometimes be confronted with a herd of burros blocking the main street, meandering across the road. I just had to sit and wait for them to cross at their leisure. Luckily the speed limit there is 25 mph so you have plenty of time to stop.
https://www.blm.gov/visit/marietta-wild-burro-range
When I attended school at Beatty High in the 70’s, one of my classmates hit a burro at the highway driving speed of a teenager. He was driving home to Sacrobatus Flat after a basketball game and was pronounced dead at the scene. Burro collisions were quite rare even though livestock fencing wasn’t a norm back then.
In town, it’s a different story. Wild burros prefer to avoid roadways but when humans give them food and water like the one’s in town, well, they kinda like that. The burros in town are all but domesticated and indifferent to traffic.
Kinda like the horse problem just east of Carson City (Moundhouse). Every year there is at least one vehicle/horse ‘collision’. It’s a toss-up as to which one will involve a death.
That picture is not from Lake Havasu burro’s, that is Red Rock in Las Vegas. Just FYI 😛
So then we really can’t believe any of it….
Oh yeah, the little sweet burros are “so destructive” says some government agency that cares less about 100 years history than their incompetent powers! They are special and should be protected to stay in their lifelong habitat!
Why doesn’t the BLM enforce existing laws regarding dumping garbage, camping over 14 days and vandalism, I think the Burros should be left alone !
There should be a hunting season on them just like deer.
Did the Burro of Land Management make this decision or did the residents of HAVASU vote on or ask for this?
I agree with BLM’s decision. Not a native animal. Those in Death Valley need to be thinned too. (Yes, I know what that means.)
Naturally migrating, hence they’re native…hoomans are the non natives.
Not native….Brought in by outsiders for work. Hunting season on them would be reasonable just like other hooved 4 leggers.
Is the phrase”…Only trick the BLM has up its sleeve” an example of unconscious bias compared to the rest of the story? Bottom line: the plethora of burros are considered a problem (right or wrong), and steps are being taken to address.
A hunting season on wild burros, just like a deer season for wild deer would solve the problem. A license and defined area for hunting would solve the problem. People used to eat horse meat, and still eat deer meat, cow meat, sheep meat, pig meat, rabbit meat, etc… Why are you squeamish about eating a the meat of a wild, hoofed four legged, overpopulated animal that is destructive to the environment due to overpopulation?