Burros are NOT sweet
Posted by Lara on April 05, 2002 at 21:17:55:
In Reply to: Re: burro poop - Re: Burro "Culling" posted by Animal Lover on April 05, 2002 at 20:36:25:
First off the burros are not sweet and trusting. They are feral creatures that are NOT cute and cuddly despite their big fluffy looking ears and soft eyes. They are one of the few creatures the mountain lion fears when they are protecting their young.
I did a story a couple of years ago on the burro roundup in the Mojave National Preserve and according to all my sources, the burros have not been shot as a method of getting rid of them for several years — due to the outcry by animal rights groups. They are rounded up and and adopted out.
I am not a big fan of the NPS, but I understand their concern.
Burros reproduce 19-29% each year
According to a study done by the NPS >>. An adult burro drinks an average of 22 liters (5 gallons) of water per day, as opposed to native bighorn sheep, which drink an average of 3.8 liters (1 gallon) of water per day. Burros are also known to pollute water sources with feces and urine, and can eliminate native vegetation through overbrowsing.<<
They also eat a tremendous amount of forage.
http://data.itc.nps.gov/nature/resourceconditions.cfm?alphacode=moja&condition=57
Personally I can see a few left in the desert - but care must be taken to maintain the herd size so they do not overrun the place.
There are more burros than there are people to adopt them.