County partners with rescue group to save wild burros

Wild burros have roamed the hills between San Bernardino and Riverside counties since the 1800s, when domesticated donkeys were no longer needed by farmers and miners and released into Reche and San Timoteo canyons. Prolific procreators, the burros are now estimated to number in the thousands.

While the wild burros delight many residents and visitors, they also commonly encounter vehicle traffic and freight trains, resulting in tragedy for burros and humans. The burros also seriously injure themselves leading to infection and death when they become entangled in fencing or when their hooves get caught in cemetery flower vases.

Responding to concerns from residents and an obvious need to mitigate the suffering, San Bernardino County this month entered into a non-financial agreement with Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue to humanely capture many of the wild burros, provide needed medical assessments and treatment, and safely relocate them to sanctuaries where they can thrive without the threat of being struck by vehicles or deadly encounters with other man-made objects.

Peaceful Valley has so far rounded up 68 wild burros into a makeshift corral on county property and is assessing their health in preparation for eventual transport to a sanctuary. The rescue has engaged a specialty veterinarian to care for injured burros and employs a low-stress approach to capture and relocation.

Peaceful Valley operates multiple sanctuaries across the country and is equipped to provide long-term care for burros in need. They employ experienced wild burro capture experts who slowly acclimate burros to alfalfa, used as bait, and their wranglers over the course of multiple days before trapping them. Veterinarians provide medical examinations and care before relocation and upon clearance, the burros will be transported to a Peaceful Valley-owned facility and provided either permanent refuge or private adoption.

Only in very specific circumstances, such as incurable contagious disease, does Peaceful Valley consider humane euthanasia. These decisions are made through the expertise of a large animal veterinarian in conjunction with applicable state laws.

“Our preference would be to contract with a local nonprofit rescue and sanctuary organization that has the capacity to rescue and shelter an adequate number of the undomesticated burros that roam freely in our county,” said San Bernardino County Animal Care Chief George Harding. “But Peaceful Valley is the only rescue organization that has been willing to sign an agreement with the county as required by Senate Bill 371 and that has demonstrated the capacity to protect our burros.”

“We are not happy that this will likely result in our burros being relocated to other states, but our contract guarantees that our burros will be well-cared for, treated humanely, and live out their natural lives in a safe environment,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Dawn Rowe, whose Third District includes Reche and San Timoteo canyons. “The county must act now and do what is necessary to mitigate the suffering, mitigate the danger, and ensure our wild burros have an opportunity to live their best lives.”

More information is available on the county’s wild burro program website.

Additional County Update News – December 19, 2024