An Update About Texas's Burro Plans

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Perhaps the Texas Parks and Wildlife could get some input on how to round up and capture wild burros from the US Government since the BLM does it on a regular basis. They then adopt them out at their now renamed Mustang and BURRO Adoption events which are held at a number of venues around the country including Texas. Once the P & W get the hang of it then they could do it once a year and at least maintain the population at an acceptable level. I am sure that a majority of Texans would probably prefer to know in their hearts that somewhere in West Texas there still roams free a band of burros and that their State Agency was acting in a positive way by adopting out rather than shooting burros in order to maintain this population at a sustainable level.
I also agree with the fence as another more humane solution. Maybe it could be built with volunteers if the P&W would supply materials.
One more thing is that if it is the mission of Texas P & W "to conserve natural and CULTURAL resources ...." then Burros actually fall under the heading of cultural since they have been a part of the history of the entire Southwest since the Conquistadors arrived in Mexico. They were in Texas long before it became a state. Certainly they were the indispensable companion to all the prospectors that roamed the west including the Big Bend area. As such perhaps they should be on the protected list instead of the to be removed one.

Lee Thompson of AZ 4:25PM August 14, 2008

While Burros do leave their mark, don't forget the Texas Long Horns that the Great State of Texas put of the property that are not native to the area that should be removed as well. Then we should deal with the rest of thelist that Kevin Good, of the Parks dept read off and thats including the great Fire Ants. When The Texas Parks Department can also remove these dangerous killers to all then you can say you really mean to remove all non-native species. Burros, wild cats, lions, deer have been at home on this range before we were born. I'm not normally a naturalist but a realist and I would rather see a 4 foot fence up at the Mexican border like Texas highway have at the intersates highways to detour all from enterring from south. If it can jump the fence then so be it. I received a call from the Park Superintendent and will be calling him immediately on our scheduled visit to plan our efforts. Mr. Dabney did state to me that the Parks department would work with the Wild Horse Foundation in every possible but again stated he was not prepared to lay off any employees or cut budgets or equipment to help rid these burros. He made it clear that if the non-profits groups could not get the job done the euthanizing would restart. But, I did notice that Mr. Harvey mentioned the $750.00 capture fee again from other conversations prior to this posting. This simply means that if we the non-profits can come up with a cheaper way they should be willing to help us out. The $50,000.00 employee plus his rifle, say $800.00 plus 1 bullet each times 200 equals 8 boxes at $40.00 a box equals $320.00 well the point is they should be able to come up $15.-$18.00 per coggins plus shots around $35.00 - $50.00 depending on a 7 way or 9 way is cheap compared to $750.00 each to gather.
On another note, if you have to many non-profits on the park at the same time you will most definetly have confusion so what is the goal. Save the Burro, Protect the State of Texas Parks for our Future, easier said than done. The answer is simple. Again I say, put the 4 foot fence up, we're not looking at hundreds of miles just a small section area maybe where the high traffic persists. Somewhere at sometime common sense has to play here. But we really are talking about a government agency right. Tax payers speak up and do it loudly or forever hold your peace. There betting that not enough people will speak up and they will roll over on the Burros.
Deer carry ticks, armadillos, and many wild animals carry diseases but why discrimnate and state burros carry diseases. this part of Texas is not in the Tick zone. Remember people hear what is written but they do not listen to what people are saying is written.
Where is the animal study for the area, this is a scientific study that states how many of what type the land can support. When we asked for this is the meeting with Kevin Good he could not present one nor did he state that they had one. This means that the State Parks department evidently is "shooting" from the hip and just plans on doing what they want without and animal study for the public.
I was told that the State would work with the Wild Horse Foundation again in everyway so as not to cut them at the quick. Budgets are always an excuse but if its a priority then it can be done. Make sure you come to the Texas Parks and Wild Life meeting in Houston this Year at the Houston Zoo, August 20-21, 2008. Your support is requested and needs to HEARD! Lots of room and plenty of hotels and parking.

Ray Field of TX 12:06AM August 01, 2008

Robert, regarding your questions posed on Bonnie Erbe's blog, 71 burros were killed at Big Bend Ranch State Park. Regarding how many there are on BBR park property currently, reality is we don't know exactly, but we estimate it could be close to 200, more or less...this is based on repeated burro sightings by park staff, observation of tracks and sign, etc. Regardless of how many there are, we believe all of them should be removed. FYI, immediately below is all of the info I sent to Ms. Erbe.
Tom Harvey
News and Information Director
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
- Our State Parks Division staff has been actively working with a group called Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue out of California. They have scheduled two attempts to round up or capture live burros at Big Bend Ranch State Park, one on Sept 15 and another about two weeks later. Interested parties who want to help can contact Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue at www.donkeyrescue.org
- USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has attempted to round up burros at BBR without success; APHIS made with the attempt at TPWD's request. No burros have been caught at BBR by anyone to date.
- TPWD State Parks Division Director Walt Dabney did meet with Ray Fields in June and told him that our agency would welcome his efforts to round up burros and remove them for adoption. Mr. Fields was invited to contact our state parks regional office in Ft. Davis and set up a site visit to access the potential to round up burros.
- Walt and others have expressed that TPWD is very interested in volunteer offers to try to capture live burros and would like to see that succeed. However, this effort has to be a long term commitment, as the problem will likely recur.
- Currently, lethal removal of burros at Big Bend Ranch has been suspended to give live capture efforts an opportunity to work. We are attempting to reduce numbers of aoudad sheep, an exotic animal originally from North Africa, through public hunting and staff removal.
- The cost of live trapping and relocating burros has been estimated to be about $750 per animal plus more for the cost of vaccinations and the mandatory quarantine required by the Texas Animal Health Commission and USDA APHIS. TPWD does not have the financial resources to control feral and exotic animals through capture and quarantine but will continue to work with rescue groups who wish to offer their own resources.
- No burros have been shot from helicopters at Big Bend Ranch by TPWD employees, or by any others to our knowledge.
- We don't know exactly how many burros are at BBR, but from staff observations we estimate there are dozens, probably close to 200.
- An essential part of TPWD’s mission is “to conserve natural and cultural resources for present and future generations." We take this mission seriously, and we must maintain natural, indigenous plant and animal communities according to accepted scientific management principals. A primary challenge is the presence of feral animals and exotic species that can disrupt and even destroy natural habitats and communities.
- Feral burros damage the fragile desert ecosystem by fouling with their waste freshwater springs that are vital for the survival of indigenous wildlife, and they damage plant communities in and around water sources. Burros compete with native species for limited forage, decreasing available food for some animals and disrupting the food chain for other species. They can damage park archeological and historic resources by churning the soil with their hooves and grazing down vegetation which protects the soil from erosion. Feral burros also often carry diseases that can be transmitted to other equine species, threatening equestrian recreational uses at Big Bend Ranch.

Tom Harvey of TX 3:35PM July 31, 2008