The sparse vegetation and scant water of the high desert proved to be no problem for the escaped burros,
who can live as far as ten miles away from water, and can lose up to
30% of their weight from dehydration before trouble sets in. Since
there is so little forage in this part of the world, however, ranchers
and some forest managers consider the burro a threat to the survival of
cattle as well as native grazers like bighorn sheep.
By order of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros act, the
Bureau of Land Management is responsible for the protection and
management of the roughly 40,000 wild horses and burros in the West,
including the 1,500 burros and 250 horses in Arizona. When the
population of any particular herd exceeds the limit of animals that its
territory can support, the BLM conducts roundups of excess animals and
offers them to the public for adoption.
Until the 1980s, a couple hundred wild burros lived in the Grand Canyon,
but were removed because they were putting too much pressure on the
supply of forage needed by the native bighorn sheep. If you're looking
for a close encounter with these endearing creatures, try checking out
the old mining town of Oatman, Arizona, between Kingman and the
Arizona/Nevada border. Fairly large herds of burros roam the hills
around the town, and every day the same small herd of about a dozen
comes into town to coax carrots and ear scratches from the delighted
tourists.
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