Wild burro removal plans underway in Lake Pleasant to reduce herd

Officials look to reduce wild burro herd near Lake Pleasant

A federal agency is saying there are too many wild burros around Lake Pleasant. FOX 10's Megan Spector learns how officials are beginning a program to reduce the herd.

LAKE PLEASANT, Ariz. - Wild burros are part of the landscape around Lake Pleasant, but a federal agency says they’re beginning a program to reduce the herd.

What we know:

Burros are a common sight around Lake Pleasant, but the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) says there are too many. 

"Very familiar," Kaydence Bonamo, who is visiting Lake Pleasant said. "I’ve been at the lake every summer forever. My dad rents boats here so very familiar."

Another visitor, Mark Kline, said he saw between 30 and 40 on Sunday, while others pulled over just to see the animals.

"We come out, get out in the desert, you like to see all the animals and everything so it’s always nice to see," Kline said. 

By the numbers:

The BLM is trying to remove more than 1,000 burros, getting the number from 2,300 down to about 200. The bureau declared the appropriate management level range to be 140 to 250.

What they're saying:

Soleil Dolce the Vice President of the Arizona Equine Rescue Organization believes the BLM is taking this action because the herd is getting into urban areas.

"If you look at all of the construction and building and things that have been happening out there in that area – a lot of the territory that the burros used to have available to them has shrunk, so we’re having a lot more burro interfaces in urban areas," Dolce said. "So there’s been more of them getting hit by cars and going into neighborhoods, etc. where they wouldn’t normally be."

The goal, according to officials, is to help with the safety of both the animals and the community.

"I mean I can understand that if they’re starting to cross the road, especially with a lot of the RZR’s flying by,’ Kline said. "It could become an issue."

"I think being a resident out here near Lake Pleasant it’s a beautiful sighting when you see these lovely donkeys," Destany Guerra, who lives nearby said. "But at the same time, if they are fighting for resources because unfortunately we’re moving in and limiting those resources, what happens to them right? We don’t want them to suffer."

The other side:

However, some believe this is not the best way to manage the growing population.

"They would go into holding facilities with the BLM, they would try to adopt out as many as they could," Dolce said. "But quite often the fate is they get stuck in long term holding pens that are substandard conditions. Very traumatic for the animals."

"It’s so sad. This is their home before ours," Bonamo said. "So I think respect them. They respect us obviously so just let them be!"

What's next:

FOX 10 reached out to the BLM regarding what happens to the burros after they are removed, but did not receive an immediate response back.