Wild burros living near a dry lake bed in front of the Silurian Hills in October 2014 in Silurian Valley, Calif. In Death Valley, the largest concentrations are in Butte Valley in the southwest corner of the park Saline Valley in the northwestern section and Wildrose Canyon on the western border, about five miles south of California Highway 190, a main route into the park. Read more: A renegade sea otter is terrorizing California surfers: 'It's a little scary' They also take exception, however, to the National Park Service’s ongoing efforts to transform Death Valley into a “no-burro zone.”īurros remain a popular specimen of regional wildlife in the California desert: sure-footed in rugged terrain and capable of carrying heavy loads long distances and withstanding temperature extremes. Some were shot in the neck while drinking water in the Halloran Springs area, officials said.Īnimal protection organizations were outraged by that slaughter and contributed thousands of dollars toward a reward of up to $18,000 for information leading to the arrest of those responsible. Bureau of Land Management land near Beatty, Nev.Ī year later, 42 wild burro carcasses with gunshot wounds were found along Interstate 15 between Halloran Springs, Calif., and Primm, Nev. Those include the shooting of 13 in 2018 on U.S. In the meantime, federal authorities continue to investigate other incidents in which wild burros were illegally killed in sparsely populated desert regions. The National Park Service does have the authority to shoot burros, which are not native to western deserts, provided the killing is necessary for the restoration of Death Valley's natural habitat. Read more: Risk of tap water exposure to toxic PFAS chemicals higher in Southern California “While these animals have a negative impact on the natural and cultural desert environment, these irresponsible actions are not warranted,” Andler said. However, they did say the killings were not part of ongoing federal efforts to reduce burro populations that have come to dominate the park’s badlands. Officials did not say when the carcasses were discovered. “They were all together in one area of lower Wildrose Canyon.” “The burros were killed with a low-caliber firearm not typically used to hunt big game,” park Ranger Nichole Andler said Friday. The National Park Service said it was one of the largest illegal killings of its kind in Death Valley, which is home to roughly 4,000 burros - descendants of the pack animals that miners and prospectors used more than a century ago.ĭetails about the investigation were scarce. Federal authorities are investigating the killing of five wild burros who were found shot to death near life-giving springs on the western edge of Death Valley National Park, where 20-mule teams once pulled wagons of borax.
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