Herd Management

Center Content: 

2016 New River Wild Burro Gather

Gather Complete

Purpose of Gather:Wild Horse and Burro Logo

The gather was necessary due to burros wandering on public rights-of-way, including State Route 74, Lake Pleasant Highway, Interstate 17, New River Road, and Castle Hot Springs Road. Animals on these heavily traveled roads are in constant danger of being hit by vehicles. Twenty-seven animals have been killed as a result of collisions with vehicles in the past eight months.

Details of Gather:

This was a bait-trap gather. The goal was to remove up to 50 wild burros.  Due to the sensitive nature of the bait-trap gather method, no public observation was offered so as not to disturb gather operations. 

The gather was conducted by a contractor. Small corrals holding hay, supplement, or water are used to lure the burros through a gate, which closes behind them.

Burros on the range
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Adoption Information

Wild burros removed from the area were transported to the Wild Horse and Burro Facility in Axtell, Utah, to be prepared for the BLM Wild Burro Adoption Program. 

For more information on the Wild Horse and Burro Program, call 866-468-7826 or email wildhorse@blm.gov.

Cumulative Totals

Animals Gathered
50

Animals Returned to Home Range
0

Animal Deaths*
1

*An unaccompanied foal was gathered in a bait trap on September 11. A jenny (female burro) was gathered at the same time, but it was not the foal's mother. The mother was nowhere in the area. The foal was weak, dehydrated, and unable to stand. After examining the foal, a veterinarian determined the animal could not survive. The foal was euthanised.