I am so outraged!

[byerssusan]

I see this on my yahoo this morning..These creatures are the most loving creatures you would ever want to meet or have the privelage of knowing..And look what they are doing!

http://news.yahoo.com/texas-shooting-donkeys-stirring-burro-backlash-070230723.html

 

[Laura]

I know in Death Valley,, many tourists get injured and some killed in crashes involving burrows on the roads.
Maybe they should capture them and do an adoption program.. sterilize the females so they cant get pregnant.
that all cost money of course and its cheaper to shoot... :-(

 

[byerssusan]

Yeah I agree..That's what I was telling my fiancee..If I had the money and resources I would go out and get as many as I could an adopt them out.Try and do something..Sometimes I feel so helpless.. They have the sweetest disposition.. I have two... And they are precious animals.

 

[Kristina]

Sad. Too bad they are so hard to herd. It would be much better to round them up and adopt them out like the BLM does with the Mustangs. I was in fact under the impression that the BLM "owns" the wild burro herds.

 

[byerssusan]

Well I was under that impression also. That the BLM owns the wild Burros as well as horses. I don't know I just know if a problem occurs and it's too much for people to have too actually put forth any effort to help it..Seems like their first act is lets shoot'em..So much easier than actually taking care of the problem. I don't know it just angers me. As well as all the turtles that were just slaughtered for Relgious reasons..I am shaking my head here. What's it all coming too??

 

[Redstrike]

I'm not well versed on this issue, but from the article it sounds like Burros are acting as an invasive species in this system and threatening the native ecosystem. It's unfortunate, but kulling or extirpating the invasive population is generally the most viable option - biologically and economically speaking.

Sorry this upsets you, I admit it's not a pretty picture but it may be necessary to conserve the ecosystem that is there.

 

[byerssusan]

Well that may be correct there..Where they are coming in at. But how many times have animals been re introduced into the wild elsewhere? Why does it always have to be kill kill kill?? I know,,because the goverment takes the money they have and spend on BS..Things for themselves...Then have no money for issues which pop up. It's not the Burros fault they are on the move ..They are wild. We are on their land not the other way around. I know I probably am not making any sense..I don't know everything there is to know.. I just don't believe they should be killed. Why not have a round ups... set up adoptions ...and use that money to better solve the problem.I know why they don't.!.Too much effort on their part.For them It's easier to put a shell in a gun and put it in the innocent Burros head..I am sorry it really upsets me. The ones I have you could not have a more loving animal. I just don't think they deserve to be killed just because they cross a border..doing what nature is telling them to do.

 

[dmmj]

not to be mean or sound callous but how easy would it be to round up and then adopt out wild burros?

 

[byerssusan]

Well if you get enough people together who actually care about this..And have the resources to round up the Burros, There are a many a cowboy out here who can rope to high heaven. It wouldnt be any harder than rounding up the wild mustangs .Again..Money and resources and people who will amke the time.. Theres nothing I can do. I have no money..resources.. If I did I would be there trying to help some how. It starts with one person. That's why I said it's really frustrating to me... I feel helpless on a matter I feel so strongly about.

Who could kill such a wonderful creature?
My Fiancee and Willow one of My Burros

And here is Jasmine And Willow

 

[Redstrike]

Well that may be correct there..Where they are coming in at. But how many times have animals been re introduced into the wild elsewhere? Why does it always have to be kill kill kill?? I know,,because the goverment takes the money they have and spend on BS..Things for themselves...Then have no money for issues which pop up. It's not the Burros fault they are on the move ..They are wild. We are on their land not the other way around. I know I probably am not making any sense..I don't know everything there is to know.. I just don't believe they should be killed. Why not have a round ups... set up adoptions ...and use that money to better solve the problem.I know why they don't.!.Too much effort on their part.For them It's easier to put a shell in a gun and put it in the innocent Burros head..I am sorry it really upsets me. The ones I have you could not have a more loving animal. I just don't think they deserve to be killed just because they cross a border..doing what nature is telling them to do.

It's very difficult for wildlife scientists to manage issues like this because of multiple (and most times conflicting) values and limited resources. Though it may seem feasible to have round ups and adoptions, how many folks are able to commit to caring for such animals? How rapidly are these animals going to be taken in? The feasibility of "re-homing" hundreds of wild animals is very low. The time it would take to undertake this would be immense and it's likely that most conservation efforts (conserving the natural system) would be diminished by the slowed process. Factoring in the expense to care for these animals while waiting for adoption (staff, feed, space, vet bills, etc.) and we're talking millions in no time, and I'm not exaggerating here! Those millions of dollars could be used toward conserving threatened and endangered species, Burros are neither.

Additionally, wild animals taken into captivity undergo much stress and are probably not very happy with confinement. I'm not advocating that death is a better option, but this is something to consider.

Lastly, I would guarantee those biologist/ecologists/wildlife scientists are not happy about killing Burros.

 

[Laura]

did you get jasmine and willow when they were very young?
true wild burrows can be quite nasty...

 

[yagyujubei]

They classify them as an invasive species, yet they've been around for centuries. Haven't they earned the right to be here yet?

 

[GBtortoises]

Unfortunately for them, animals don't understand the concept of borders drawn on a map by humans, nor should they have to. I find it deplorable (and typical) that on one hand our government strives to eliminate animals that they deem "invasive". Yet that same government has imported and released several non-native species in the past to control crop pests and for other reasons. Most of those government imported species have run amuck in this country and failed to control the "pest" that they were intended for.
I don't deny the concern that wild Burro's and other species may move into an area and upset the local environmental balance. There may be a need for control in many of those cases. But I don't always think that killing them is always the answer. It's just the laziest solution.

 

[byerssusan]

If you ask me it's more politcal than anything..Hmm..Look at this here comes Burros crossing our borders that we are trying to protect from illegals from crossing..Thats laughable actually.. There has been such a fuss on protecting our borders from Mexicans crossing over..and here they can't even keep Burros from crossing. Seems like they are taking a little frustration out on the Burros.Doesn't make our goverment look very good does it? The Burros have a long history..And yes they deserve to be protected. I don't care if their nasty..when wild..Look at these Mustangs they round up..they are mean as hell ..and alot larger than a Burro. It takes less than half to care for a Burro than it does a horse.
Yes the goverment has released non-native species here and look what has happened. GBTortoise it's just like you said and i say..It's the lazy way to take care of the problem

I got Willow and Jasmine just about a year ago. A rescue per se..They were not in the best of health when I got them. Willow is as sweet as can be. So is Jasmine but no one has worked with Jasmine like they had with Willow. Jasmine is still a very loving animal. They are so different than a horse.Yo have to earn their trust before you have the honor of being friends withthem. After that..They are like dogs, they will love you forever. They will follow you..very curious animals. And I do mean curious.. Did you know some use Burros for protecting their other animals? They will let you know if there is someone or something that is not suppose to be there. Just like a dog does.

 

[jbean7916]

Unfortunately for them, animals don't understand the concept of borders drawn on a map by humans, nor should they have to. I find it deplorable (and typical) that on one hand our government strives to eliminate animals that they deem "invasive". Yet that same government has imported and released several non-native species in the past to control crop pests and for other reasons. Most of those government imported species have run amuck in this country and failed to control the "pest" that they were intended for.
I don't deny the concern that wild Burro's and other species may move into an area and upset the local environmental balance. There may be a need for control in many of those cases. But I don't always think that killing them is always the answer. It's just the laziest solution.

How do you feel about the pythons being hunted in the Everglades?

I only ask because as a snake lover myself, my first reaction is similar to what i'm hearing for these burros, but I also see it as a necessity. Just like we have hunting season for the Whitetail deer here in MO, it's population control and it is very necessary for the safety of those that travel on the roads. We have removed all the natural predators from these areas, we have killed off coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions and wolves and now their prey is running amok.

 

[GBtortoises]

I think there is a big difference between how Non-native species need to be controlled. Much of the form of control is based on the type of animal. It's impossible to apply the same techniques to Burros and Pythons. The Pythons (and other evasive snakes) are probably never going to be stopped or even controlled at an manageable level. They're more difficult to find in the Everglades, reproduce in far larger numbers and much more rapidly. Burros can easily be spotted from a distance and can be found in more common areas.

Hunting is without a doubt the most popular outdoor sport in my area. I grew up here in the woods, came from a long line of hunters and used to be an avid hunter myself. I have absolutely nothing against it and still fully support it. I just am no longer a hunter myself. I absolutely agree that it is a ncessary form of population control. It's not really to make the roads safer for travel (in fact it's usually the opposite during season!). At least here in the Northeast it's primarily to keep populations at a level that they can produce healthy offspring and not die of starvation or mass disease. But if the side effect of that is that I hit fewer deer with my vehicles I'm okay with that too! We still have plenty of coyotes and Bobcat here (saw a nice Bobcat last weeked) and we occasionally see evidence of a Mountain Lion lurking around. But I agree that for the most part, we humans have upset the predator/prey balance in most cases due to our own fears. We tend to kill what we don't like or understand. So since we've removed to many predators and the responsibility falls on us to manage the prey. Something that I don't think we do very well at times.

 

[byerssusan]

Well I also have been a hunter. Believe it or not yes there are many female hunters. And I come from a long line of hunters as well. For one full year I learned to track, eating habits, everything you need to know about the white tail deer habits. You know what I turned out to be actually a very good hunter. With one exception..I was sitting and here it comes..I raise my shot gun ..aim..I look into those big brown eyes. I lowered the gun and just watched as the deer went happly on it's way. I did not have the heart..Anyway the ones who do hunt. You know what?? They eat what they kill. Which really doesn't make it any better..These hunts are too make sure the population is not over runned. But again..They are not just slaughtered just to be slaughtered.. They are killed for meat..fur.. And exactly what are they doing with the burros? Are they eating them? I would guess not. Shoot to kill ..remove the carcass and be done with it.. This is alot different than hunting in the east. It's alot different. I don't think anyone should compare it to that. Not to be disrespectful. This is just not the same as the regular hunts.

Here is the white tail deerI named Furby who came to me as a rescue at two days old. I released back into the wild when he was big enough. This was years ago. The last time I saw him which was a long time ago he was a 6 point buck

 

[Redstrike]

I don't think making accusations of laziness are warranted, we don't know the politics and policy decisions behind this management strategy. It's very easy to point and make accusations, but if we don't have a comprehensive understanding of the situation, we probably shouldn't do so.

 

[freddy10]

Well I have to say it is being lazy, people have the time to shoot them rather than just getting them it is being lazy yeah it is lazy it is really easy to take a rifle and aim and shoot rather than gather them up and saving there life's just think if people was doing this to tortoises all of you guys would be saying something would you?? Or try to stop it? But when it comes burros you guys dont care uh? In agree with Susan!!

 

[byerssusan]

Watch this. The first part shows what a cowboy isn't..keep watching it...it shows you what a real one is..and how wonderful they are as they are catching the wild burros..Not killing them. All it takes is what I have been saying time..people who are willing to help. And not taking the lazy way out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=zejVrbFdIos

Here is where I got this from
http://our-compass.org/2011/09/04/burros-shot-on-sight-please-take-action/#1