PHOENIX — The Arizona Bureau of Land Management plans to remove up to 1,000 wild burros from the Black Mountain Herd Management Area west of Kingman starting Jan. 8.
The Black Mountain herd has a population of about 1,925 individuals, more than three times the appropriate population size for the area, the agency said. The rally is scheduled to last eight weeks.
BLM cites herd health, habitat conditions, and road safety as major concerns when populations are large.
“Wild donkeys basically have no natural predators, so their numbers are growing rapidly,” said Kingman field manager Amanda Dodson. press release. “If not properly managed, herd size can double every five years. This gathering is part of the future of maintaining the natural ecological balance that thrives on public lands in the Black Mountain Herd Management Area. It is being implemented to address herd health and overpopulation concerns, with the goal of
Out-of-control populations can threaten native wildlife and plants, reduce water quality and affect the health of their own herds, said Gerald Davis, BLM deputy director for state resources and planning. he said. KTAR News.
The BLM said it has asked communities in Mohave County to address the overabundance of wild lolos.
“As herd size increases, more wild grounders are wandering outside HMAs in search of forage and water, especially during periods of extreme heat or drought,” Davis said in an email. “As a result, wild burros are found within local communities such as Bullhead City, Golden Valley, and along Highways 66, 68, 93, and 95.”
From 2018 to 2019, more than 30 burros were struck by vehicles within and adjacent to the Black Mountain HMA.
How is Baros captured?
Arizona is home to more wild donkeys than any other state. Estimated population As of March, there were 6,205 people. They are protected under the Free-Range Wild Horses and Burros Act.
The agency will use helicopter-assisted methods to collect the animals, capture them and transport them by vehicle to the facility, where they will be vaccinated and health-examined by veterinarians.
Processes must be BLM compliant Comprehensive animal welfare program and in the presence of a veterinarian from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the BLM said.
However, gatherings using helicopters are subject to strict scrutiny.
of American Wild Horse Campaign The nonprofit group says helicopter roundups can be more dangerous for donkeys than horses because they scatter, lengthen tracking times, and threaten the animals' safety.
In May, amendments to the Wild Horse and Burros Loitering Act addressing the use of helicopters were introduced in the House of Commons.
Within one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit a report to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate stating:
(1) A humane alternative to the use of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft in managing wild free-ranging horse and roe populations.
Captured animals are sent to Wild Horse and Bureau facilities in Florence or Ridgecrest, California, where many will be adopted or sold through the BLM Wild Horse and Bureau private consignment and conservation program.
However, women are participating in government fertility control projects. Humane Society of the United States He will be treated and released. The program will treat Jenny with porcine zona pellucida (PZP), a vaccine that temporarily slows reproduction. The Humane Society saw this as a population management alternative to rounding up hundreds of wild donkeys and housing them in facilities.
Women who previously received PZP will receive a booster shot, while women in the control group will receive a first dose, the BLM said.
During the fall, the agency A 30-day public comment period has begun. About a 10-year plan to remove burrows and implement breeding control strategies in the Alamo, Big Sandy, and Havasu herd management areas in western Arizona known as the Three Rivers Complex.
