Wild burro sightings in Peoria?

By Philip Haldiman
Mail | Twitter: @PhilipHaldiman

Wild burro sightings are becoming more common these days out on the northern end of Peoria as more than 700 of the federally-protected animals are estimated to live in the Lake Pleasant area.

The Arizona Bureau of Land Management manages eight wild horse and burro herd management areas on about 2.3 million acres. Sightings are taking place outside the Lake Pleasant Herd Management Area, which covers about 103,000 acres and is north of State Route 74 and northeast of Lake Pleasant.

Officials said the Lake Pleasant herd management area population was last estimated at 756 burros, which is well above the number of animals the habitat can support. This increase has resulted in range expansion and increased overlap with urban areas, representing a growing risk to public safety and animal welfare.

J. Chris Wonderly, a spokesman for the Bureau of Land Management, said this is an issue not only in the Lake Pleasant area, but across the state. If left alone, herd sizes can double every four to five years and can quickly outgrow the ability of the land to support them, he said.

“This is why they may wander outside their normal area. And as the weather warms, they may wander to find better vegetation,” he said. “Also, well-meaning residents may put out food and water to burros that have wandered off the HMA. This has caused burros to become habituated to humans and has also encouraged them to continue to wander toward roadways hoping to receive food.”

BLM states that population control must be implemented to protect scarce and fragile resources in the arid West and ensure a healthy population of burros.

To carry out this mission, the BLM controls herd growth through the application of fertility measures, such as birth control, and through the periodic removals of excess animals and the placement of those animals into private care.

These removals, known as gathers, are done to protect the health of the animals and the health of public rangelands, officials say.

Burro gathers around Lake Pleasant have been conducted to reduce nuisance to private property or public health and safety, such as when they venture too close to the road.

Gathered burros are moved to the Florence Wild Horse and Burro Training and Holding Facility where they are offered for adoption or sale to good homes through the BLM’s Adoption and Sales programs. Wonderly said wild burros have nearly a 100% placement rate through private placement events around the country.

In recent months, wild burros have strayed closer to private property and busy Peoria area roads. A dead burro was found dead along Lake Pleasant Parkway south of Carefree Highway a couple weeks ago.

At least 34 burro-vehicle collisions occurred in 2016 and 2017, according to BLM.

Wonderly said vehicle strikes can happen if burros stray near the roads. BLM partnerships have resulted in fencing and signs along I-17 and area parkways to alert motorists to burros in the area, he said.

If people see dead or injured burros, they can report them to the BLM Phoenix District Office at 623-580-5500.

“If strikes occur, we work alongside local partner groups and agencies to remove dead burros from the roadway,” Wonderly said.

Wild burros freely roam throughout the entire Lake Pleasant HMA and surrounding lands and sometimes they show up in the Northwest Valley.

June Lowery, a spokeswoman for BLM, said wild burros are federally protected from injury, harassment or death.

“They should not be approached, as they can be very territorial and protective of their young,” Lowery said. “Wild burros, as with all wild animals, should not be fed. Feeding wild burros can reduce their natural instincts to forage for food and their natural fear and caution around humans.”

The Bureau of Land Management created the Wild Horse and Burro Program to implement the Wild-Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act, passed by Congress in 1971.

Broadly, the law declares wild horses and burros to be “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West” and stipulates that the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service have the responsibility to manage and protect herds in their respective jurisdictions within areas where wild horses and burros were found roaming in 1971, according to the BLM website.

Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman.

Philip Haldiman
Senior News Editor | Peoria
@PhilipHaldiman

phaldiman@iniusa.org

Meet Philip
Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.

Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.

Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater. 

Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.

Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.