Texas's Tragic Burro Slaughter

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September 2011 the Wild Horse Foundation will be hosting a 4 day event to gather ideas and plans from "ALL" groups to help in the removal of burros from Big Bend Ranch State Park. While the idea of letting them stay there is death defying because Texas wants them removed.
You can visit our web www.wildhorsefoundation.org for more information about plans, meetings and ideas for this. Those that sit back from the computer and state how they would do it is no longer acceptable. Now is the time to initiate your wallets, your ideas and be ready to stand up and make the difference.
No more talking about the who does what. Now is your chance to step up to the plate or forever hold your remarks. The Stae of Texas invited folks two years ago and nothing. Now the Wild Horse Foundation will be hosting the event for all non-profit groups to show up, put there plans and ideas to use.
No more side seat driving, no more standing in the outfield. It's time to plan to help.

Ray Field, Executive Director, Wild Horse Foundation of TX 9:15PM August 01, 2011

The Sierra Club's policy about the burros is hideous. I will never support them. What is this purest attitude about native species? Are hundreds of years not enough? '
The cattle who run on public lands are certainly not native.
But the burros have no money to donate to the Sierra Club or to politicians.

Linda E. Chene of CA 6:46PM April 09, 2010

You always contact us here at the Wild Horse Foundation.org to help you finding any burros. We always look for good homes for the burros. They are good guardanimals and very useful. Big Bend Ranch State Park under Mill Hill have been doind a superior job with the burro problems of the past by working with folks today and tomorrow.

Ray Field, Executive Director, Co-Founder Wild Horse Foundation of TX 3:33PM June 15, 2009

My husband & I own & live on 30 acres just 38 miles north of San Antonio. We are retired and would like to have some stock on our place. Our place is rough with live oaks ceder, native grasses ,rock and cactus. We have a well, water catch basins, brush piles, and unused pins. The only animals are 1 small house dog, 1 cat and a adapted border collie that is mostly a outside dog. We also have a good fence. Are any of the burros up for adaption? We have been looking for a burro or donkey to adopt. We are also thinking about running some goats. We have read that the burros or donkey is a good mix.

Charlotte & Amos Herring of TX 12:00PM March 15, 2009

I say capture and neuter these beautiful, intelligent creatures and let them live out their lives where they are unless a really good home can be found for them.

James Jackson of TX 3:47PM September 30, 2008

hi wat is your name and is the weather hot or cold

liam westoby of HI 8:47AM September 12, 2008

I for one will never, ever again contribute to the Sierra Club. There are alternatives out there, and people would have been willing to help save the lives of these poor Burro's. Instead like a stelth attack they came in quiet and killed. I made my first trip to Big Bend and the very best part for me 4 years ago was seeing the Burro's. This saddens and disgusts me. I will send this information to all and everyone that can make a difference and continue to do so for as long as it takes to see responsible and informed change to benefit these animals.
Shame on the TX parks and wildlife Director, Dabney should be let go. Now that is a thought?? HUMMMM...

JM Gordon of TX 4:01PM August 25, 2008

After a lengthy conversation with Dr. Brown of APHIS it was devulged the true identy of the Burros that were removed by Mark were from his office given to Mark, plus a 13th from a rancher. No Burros have been removed from the Big Bend Ranch State Park as reported by Big Bend Sentinel Paper as of today. While it's hot in Texas and Hurricane Dolly didn't do neither of us any good with added rain for watering holes scattered out would just make it harder to gather the Burros.
I sat in today at the Texas Parks and Wild Life meeting in Houston and it was so far misplaced from the real truth about whats going on that nobodys cares, truly they don't. I heard youth groups and misc stuff tell how great the Parks department is and the Commissioners didn't need their egos boosted they needed to hear real business. I appreciate the kids enjoying the Parks throughout Texas and the programs that are offered but we need to protect our Parks so that there kids will have Parks to come to and give these same speaches.
Coach Curt from Alpine made the long haul in and didn't know about the meeting until he called me on sunday but made this effort to be heard and did a great job to go on record of the abuse by some standards and got noted on public record. I made it a point to get it on record to have a operational guideline and standards of why we need to remove these Burros if at all. There has been no plan shown to date why we need to do this. No amount of whining and crying to these Commissioners was going to get anywhere. They were totaly lost as to the topic of removal of Burros but were totally turned off about the Burro Killings. they live that already and didn't want to be reburied and relive that tragic event.
This wekend I invited both Coach curt and Big bend Sentinel paper out with me and Mike Hill the Park Superintendent to do a Operational Study for a future gather for the Wild Horse Foundation so that neither the paper or anyone else can speak out of school about not having any direct involvement. Both parties came up with some lame excuse not to come along. I always beleive that should tell a story from both sides and interview boths sides and tell the truth in reporting, now I'm dreaming right, well I did invite them anyway so they could see the who, what, when and how. They will not be allowed in the operational area during the gathers for safety reasons and more important to keep from scatterring the Burros like scared quail. They can beg plead and borrow and the State will not let them in during these operations, it will not be open for public attendance. To many unsafe risk factors and medical help by helicopter and a hospital is hours away.
Point, I still beleive the number is undetermined as to how many, even the State is unsure and I asked for a airial survey and they won't do it for fear that the numbers aren't there and the truth will be known. They did tell me I could provide my own fly over and such adding to the costs and I may just do this with video to document the area of the ranges in question for accuracy.
Last Point. After seeing and meeting a few who is who I truly beleive that this Park will be used for the Rich and Famous purposes, the common folks can afford the east side of the Park but the west side will be used for higher pleasure at a must costlier price. They truly don't want either of non-profits to succeed but tell us good luck, these guys need to run for Senators or President, there good at one thing while knowing what they're planning for. It's about economics and remember to follow the money trail, theres nothing worst in Texas then thinking we're a bunch of stupid ole country cowboys, we went to school to.
Both of non-profits will have hundreds of man hours invested in this, thousands of dollars and the least the State could do is give some respect.
We do this for the love of our animals, for the protection of our heritage and the legacy we to will leave behind one day. Its hard enough finding volunteers to help, donors to donate there hard earned money to our cause with fuel prices and food prices the way they are, the least we can do is find the solution thats the least cost effective for us all. I look forward to any suggestions or comments. our website is www.wildhorsefoundation.org Thank you for you time again. Ray Field, Executive Director, Wild Horse Foundation

Ray Field of TX 2:15AM August 21, 2008

Carol Stefancin of Ohio must have a bag over her head. She is just like all the other tree huggers. It is necessary to cull the herds of all animals. (Domestic and wild) This is natures way. Of course since Bush is from Texas ITS BUSH's FAULT. What an idiot she is. Got to blame some one, might as well be
BUSH. Even though he has nothing to do with the day to day
operation of this event.
GET A LIFE "GERTRUDE" (CAROL)

Bill Powell of IL 3:06PM August 14, 2008

To there own demise and after the Park Superindent that resigned behind this according to the story printed last fall, these brurros were shot by Park Employees and left for natural predators to eat in the Park, and if you need names then contact the Park and they will give them to you as they were already made know in recently published Alpine News. Our point is to save the Burros is NOT TO MESS with them at all, But, since the Parks department will not step up and fence off the Rio Grande River this will go on for another 500 years. The Texas Parks and Wild Life wants the non-profits to step up and clean up this problem when its not a problem at all unless you don't see the economic side of hunting for the state. The meetings held throughout the State made it known that the State had "State Hit Men" on pay roll to Euthanize for the Park that were "Quakified" Marksmen to take care of this should the non-profit groups fall short of there goals.
Since when did the tax payers of Texas have Park employees "hired" to be "hit men on animals on Public Parks". We all listen to Kevin Good tell us that his man was a Veteran and qualified to hit the target and so are most of us as veterans but we don't go around shooting helpless animals and especially if we are employees for a government. It's morally wrong and ethically stupid. Governments get there money from people we elect into office that run our State for us not the other way around.
This is a State Park, lots of animals on it, lots of history and has been around hundreds and thousands of years before the State got there hands on it. Seems to me that maybe someone ought to try and get a federal injunction on this removal and stop this and this would prevent the whole problem.
Mark, The Burro Man, and myself, 2 different groups, 2 different removals will be doing our best this Fall to remove some burros but like the State said, "This will need to be a contiuing process", and since the State has no plans on assisting with the process but leaving the gates open for a steady process with free rein of runnning back and forth from Mexicao and Texas then how would anyone stop this.
The Parks and Wild and Life is simply going to wait us out and then when we're all exhausted of funds and man power they will go back to killing, it was said to my face in the meeting. They will let us do as much as we can and then we've done as much as we can they will turn out the lights, the parties over.
I've interviewed many, many vistors of the Park and they all say the same thing, they see the Burros and they see them come and go. They enjoy the natural beauty they bring to the old west atmosphere of the west Texas sun and mountains.
The Parks and Wild Life presented a list of species they wanted removed from the Park area and I challenge them to start removing that list first and the first I want remove is the Fire Ants. You remove them and I'll put up the fence and remove all the Burros and everyone in the Great State of Texas and others states will love the Texas parks and Wild Life department. They want Burros removed we want the Fire Ants.
The Wild Horse Foundation will live up to its deal but will the Parks Department. Leave the Burros alone. The Parks Department can no more remove what they want on that list including Fire Ants so take the Burros off of it aswell.
They the Texas parks and Wild Life has yet to produce a Habitation Report for the Park spelling out what the park can hold in the way of wild life.
Remember to be at the Texas Parks and Wild Life Commissioners meeting in Houston August 20 -21 at the Houston Zoo starting at 1 pm on the 20th. Free parking and lots of room. This is the way to stop this.

Ray Field of TX 3:41PM August 06, 2008