by Marjorie Farabee ~ Director of Wild Burro Affairs for Wild Horse Freedom Federation
Texas Parks and Wildlife Kill Protected Species Without Remorse
He could hear her crying. It was a persistent, but soft plea from the tiny burro foal. He heard little bleats for she was not yet old enough to bray. In her big dark eyes he could see the confusion of this little one, as she tried to figure out why her mother would not move.
Luis Armendariz was horrified when he walked up to a scene in Big Bend Ranch State Park in Texas, which he supervised. It was a scene he would never forget. A young soft foal was trying to feed off her dead mother. So immediately, Mr. Armendariz called in the authorities, and launched an investigation. There were 71 dead and dying wild burros, and Luis Armendariz wanted to get to the bottom of it.
The investigator Robert Garcia answered the call, and when he discovered that the shootings were carried out by none other than TPWD directors, Don Shuly and Mike Hill, he bravely carried out the investigation anyway. He was shocked to discover that they drove all the way from Austin to stand on a mountain rim and shoot with sniper rifles burros trapped in the arroyo of a three sided canyon. It Is, unquestionably a disturbing image of willful malice. Without provocation, orders to do so, or notification of their intent to the park superintendent, Luis Armendariz, they carried out the deadly and cruel shootings of 71 trapped, wild burros. The scene of carnage that the park superintendent walked up on that day, in 2007 put a black eye on the face of Texas Parks and Wildlife’s image forever. The public outcry that followed, when the shootings were publicized caused the park to say they had stopped shooting the burros for a number of years. We have now discovered that they were simply more discreet about it, not wanting the public to know.
The investigation and cover up that followed the 2007 shootings, leaves one little doubt as to whom our state park really belongs. It certainly is not the common visitor who pays a fee at the gate. The park has been funding a program to reintroduce bighorn sheep to the park for trophy hunters. For the privilege of shooting one bighorn, a permit must be purchased ranging in price from $70,oo0.00 to $150,ooo.00. Incredibly, TPWD uses their bighorn program as justification for shooting the burros. They state that the burros compete with the bighorn for forage, and that the burros are feral. They state that being returned natives does not make them native. Does anybody see the hypocrisy at play here?
The fact is that the burros are a returned native species who has resided in the Big Bend area for centuries without causing damage. One of the most fascinating talents a burro has for survival is their instinct for finding water. These hardy animals can survive numerous days without water, which makes them ideally suited for the desert environments. Many a scout’s life was saved by their loyal companion the burro, as they trekked through these dynamic, beautiful, yet harsh terrains. The burro sensing water beneath the ground will stop, and then dig a 3 foot diameter hole, which fills with water. Not only does the burro drink, but so does wildlife, and birds. These stalwart, intelligent animals travel throughout the area, and near the Rio Grande. They have been documented in the Chihuahuan biosphere for hundreds of years.
In fact, one eye-witness report from the turn of the century by J.O. Langford, described the burros and the habitat as having “so much grass, it could never be eaten down”. He also spoke fondly of the burros and burros he owned who toiled on his homestead. This was in 1908. During WWI the price of meat skyrocketed, and ranchers wanting to take advantage of the boondoggle, moved livestock into the Big Bend area in enormous numbers. By 1927, Langford described a landscape lain barren, and water fouled. He said with the grasses gone the watershed pushed rocks off the mountains ruining fertile farm lands below. In twenty years time, the livestock brought in by ranchers laid waste a unique desert landscape, not meant for cattle or recovered enough for the high caloric requirements of another ruminant the bighorn sheep.
But, TPWD who choose to ignore environmental and biological science want to reintroduce bighorn sheep by calling them native. It is an interpretation that flies in the face of fact and logic. More importantly, studies at Big Bend have never been conducted. Nor have they ever done a count of burros, nor have they ever tried to develop these naturally occurring herds of native burros for tourism. They choose instead to develop their hunting programs and host youth hunting at the park. They really don’t care about science, there are people making policy for this park who have a clear prejudice for the burro.
After the outrage expressed by citizens over the deaths of 71 burros in 2007, died down, TPWD quietly reinstated their policy to eradicate all burros from state parks in Texas. . Then, in August of 2010 they stated that their policy would be to shoot them as a matter of “opportunity” while they carried out other functions in the park.
In February of 2011, I made a visit to Big Bend Ranch State Park, to follow up on the burros that I felt were still at risk in this park. I was accompanied by Craig Downer, a wildlife ecologist who noted that there were still cattle present in the park. We travelled to the scene of the carnage, in 2007, and noted the ruggedness of the terrain. Although we saw very few burros, we did find sign of burro presence in the park. We then after a week went to Austin which was 8 hours away to speak to the parks directors, Brent Leisure, David Riskind, and John Davis. They were clear that they were going to be shooting burros but also indicated that it would be a rare because they would not seek the burros out but only shoot them opportunistically if they should come across them during the course of their regular park functions.
One thing that is important to note in this discussion, is the fact that the locals want the burros to remain in the park. Their local economy is based on tourism, and the burros add to the ambiance and historic value of the area. While the park may receive huge revenue for encouraging trophy hunting, the numbers who can afford this privilege are few. Conversely, the 300,000 visitors a year who come to enjoy living nature at the park, paying only an entry fee, are many. These are the tourism dollars that matter to the local towns surrounding the park. The locals are being hurt by the policy to carry out this misguided and cruel policy of eradicating the historic, iconic burro from a landscape that has sustained them for centuries. In essence, it appears that the park is being turned into a game sanctuary enjoyed by the privileged few while funded by our tax dollars.
One of the locals who has been most active in preventing the unnecessary deaths of these remarkable animals whom many call the PhD’s of equines, is Curtis Swafford. After our visit in February 2011, he shot off a letter to Kevin Good who is an assistant to the park director. The answers he provided to Curtis Swaffords questions were stunningly heartbreaking. Nothing had changed. They were still gunning down groups of burros, every other week since August 2010, Mr. Good reported to Curtis how many were shot, where they were shot, and by whom. The number he reported came to 46, and is still rising since the pattern of killing seems to show a cycle of every other week killing between 5 and 9 burros. Who are we as a people? It’s a question that has deep meaning for me. So, I am going to provide you with the questions submitted by Curtis Swafford to the Kevin Good at TPWD, and the answers he received in response to these questions. Ask yourself, does this attitude toward our named national heritage species speak to who we are as a people?
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 2011 14:46:21 -0500
From: Kevin.Good@tpwd.state.tx.us
To:Curt
CC: Kevin.Good@tpwd.state.tx.us;Deirdre.Hisler@tpwd.state.tx.us;Ken.Watson@tpwd.state.tx.usCurt, I apologize for the delay in responding to your message, but I have been out of town. Here are the answers to your follow up questions.
#1:What are the dates the burros were shot and who were the shooters by name and title? What were the circumstances surrounding each shooting? If no one has ever been sent to BBRSP to shoot burros then how did the aforementioned burros end up shot,(name and title of shooters please)?
Answer: Resumption of feral burro control was reauthorized in June 2010. Since that time, all shootings of burros have been performed by Barrett Durst, Jaime Sanchez and Drew Hufstedler; Park Specialist/Park Peace Officers assigned to Big Bend Ranch. All shootings were performed when burros were encountered during the course of normal patrol or maintenance duties within the park.
- 4 burros on 8/17/2010, Fresno Canyon
- 2 burros on 10/7/2010, Guale Mesa
- 6 burros on 1/2/2011, Rancherias Canyon
- 4 burros on 1/22/2011, Rancherias Canyon
- 5 burros on 3/15/2011, Guale Mesa
- 7 burros on 4/16/2011, La Cuesta
- 6 burros on 6/18/2011, Rancherias Loop
- 6 burros on 6/22/2011, Rancherias Loop
- 4 burros on 7/4/2011, Tapado Canyon
- 1 burro on 7/10/2011, Grassy Banks
- 1 burro on 7/10/2011, Lower Madera
#2 Were the burros destroyed in any other way other than shooting them?
Answer: TPWD only uses shooting as a method to eliminate burros.
#3 Are you destroying the burros in the form of a scheduled action plan or just or by random selection?
Answer: Burros are destroyed only when authorized staff have the opportunity to do so in a safe and humane manner, when the burros are encountered during the course of normal operational duties. There is no “scheduled action plan”.
#4 What is the census of the burros?
Answer: The department has not conducted a census of the burro population at Big Bend Ranch. Department policy is to eliminate or minimize or the number of any and all feral and exotic species at Big Bend Ranch, as well as all other state parks.
#5 What methods do you use to arrive at that number?
Answer: At this time, staff has not attempted to count burros on the park.
#6 At what rate are the burros breeding and what methods do you use to determine that?
Answer: At this time, TPWD is not attempting to gather this data.
#7 what is the mortality rate both natural and manmade and what methods do you use to determine that?
Answer: TPWD has not attempted to determine this information.
Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. This has to be brought to the foreground of our awareness so we can get them to stop this outrageous and unnecessary killing of these burros. It makes me worry about what else is going on out there that we are unaware of. Thank you once again Mr Fitch.
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This is such a sad story. Why does man think that he is better and more intelligent than natures creatures. If they get in their way the attitude seems to be to exterminate. We have so much to learn from these sentient beings, burros, wild horses, wolves but unfortunately at the rate they are being exterminated there won’t be any left to learn from. They give us so much and ask for so little in return. They do not deserve to be treated in this disgraceful way and it always involves $$$$ or £££££. Very sad.
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WOW that is so fricken sick 😦
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Again an agency out of control and making there own rules. I hope we can put some pressure on these people. And like with the wild horses once the pressure dies down they go back to their old ways. All, keep this in mind. We MUST stay at this if we are going to save our wild ones. All of them!!
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Yes, Lynn, and one thing that will help the burro is to never drop their name from the dialog. It is this one small thing that gives these officials the sense that no one cares what happens to our national heritage species, the burro.
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Marjorie,
Here is a link to the Wildlife Society’s position statement on the treatment of wild horses and burros by Michael Hutchins, director and CEO. He was the expert witness used by the Interior Department to present their arguments against enlarging the number of horses from 60 to 120, in other words from non-viable numbers to viable ones. He has spurned the writings and testimony of Jay Kirkpatrick and Patricia Fazio in other writing. He also flatly ignores other reports such as have appeared in the Publicatons of the National Academy of Sciences.
It appears to ke that Interior has decided to exterminate our wild horses by convincing itself and everyone who will listen that our wild horses and burros are feral. They seem to be making that justification even though by law that is irrelevant. I think we have an issue with some state wildlife and cattle organizations seizing on this thread without any connection to fact being floated by Interior by a purported expert.
In my opinion, an expert does not ignore science that he disagrees with. He presents facts to refute it. Instead, Dr. Hutchins either ignores the evidence or makes personal attacks on the credibility of those he disagrees with. Here is the link to his position page:
Click to access Feral.Horses.July.2011.pdf
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We are the cockroaches of the planet. The cruelest of all species. The earth would be better absent our species. Cowardly wanton disreagrd for life.
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I could not agree with you more,as it does appear from the politicos perspective with G-D that they have an exclusive-use agreement signed that they have sole rights for our planet,to do with what they wish.
Rid this planet of politicos and save it.
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I hope those SOB’s go to hell !!
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OMG this is so upsetting.
This has to stop!!
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This needs to be on the evening news in Texas then national.
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Yes, Diana, it does. However, this is not isolated to Texas. The states in general feel they can do what ever they please with the humble burro. They are being exterminated in alarming numbers all over the country.
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I understood that the Big horn sheep were not from this area as well therefore surely they should exterminate these as well. That way at least there will not be big shot bankers running around thinking they are rambo.
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Thank You RT, I am so ashamed of Mankind for their complete lack of Compassion, and their complete lack of respect, what needs to be done to bring this back ????????Animals of all kinds are defenseless and innocent………….What we learn from them is priceless, in the animal world nobody kills unless they are hungry, in the animal world a Mother will defend her babies to her own death, , I have never seen any of them shooting each other just because they can!!!!!!! I have never seen any of them selling each other to Slaughter, I have never seen them trying to one up each other, I have only seen their pure simple love for each other, I had a German Shepard who would have given up his life to save me or any body else who was being attacked, he saved many and taught me many things about honor and respect, just as the horses do for me also …..When are we all going to see the complete perfection of all of these animals…..When will this hideous treatment of those who cannot defend themselves stop……………….Those who have taken the time to study and learn from them will always be happy within themselves, the others I feel sorry for because they will always be miserable beings…… The animals are here for a supreme reason in order to find this out we must respect and study,,,,,,,,,, Not Kill and maim , and show to everyone the ignorance some of us refuse to give up……………. To harm a defenseless animal is total ignorance it shows to others what we are inside…………………Some of us extremely Ugly others most beautiful……………..
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The horses were given their awesome Beauty , so we could easily recognize their true worth with no mistake………………..Yet some are still a fail to see???????……………….
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. . . and burros!
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Yes, AND BURROS. It is such a small thing that matters so much. The officials doing this to these remarkable animals believe that advocates only care about what happens to the mustang because the burros are not a part of the dialog.
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No offense, RT, but Texas is one messed up state.
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Again, there is more to Texas than this twisted tale. This is, however, a very ugly black eye for the state…and if Rick Perry attempts to run for Prez this will be something that we will not forget.
Sent from R.T.’s iPad
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Marjoree says these orders are coming from way up, and the way Perry is, I can believe it that he caters to the elite. Listen to the wise words of the late Molly Ivins “Next time I tell you that someone from Texas should not be president of the Untied States, please pay attention.”
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I thought something like this happened about 2 years ago.
The A**Hats in Texas do this on a regular basis was my conclusion, unfettered, unchallenged and without scientific foundation….you know, “this is the way we HAVE always done it” ka-rap. Those have got to be some really sick humans.
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Yes, Denise this happened in 2007, and public outcry caused them to stop for a short while. They have now reinstated their lethal reduction policy to the burros. Since August of 2010 they have gunned down 46 more and counting.
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TPWD?? Who is this?
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TPWD is Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
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Thank you, I was guessing. Better to know.
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When I read about the shootings It was, in my opinion, a Black Mark against the Parks Service. And I believe they could have done something other than this. The killings are not justified. People who have ranches can adopt burros and they will get an early warning system… horseman know the burros out on pasture with their horses will always be aggressive to coyotes and stray dogs.
People would adopt burros if killing them had not been the goal.
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I don’t even swat FLIES like that! At the very least an insect has to be bugging me to get flattened. Killing a creature just because you happen across it is nothing short of murder.
We need to hunt down the information and lean on those politicians. We need to remind them that tourists don’t all come toting guns to shoot sheep. Those that come for other reasons will be notified of their dirty little secret.
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Were there any pictures taken at the crime scene? They need to published and circulated ASAP.
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What the @!%&^%$#! The government has been a disapointment to me ever since I discovered what they have been doing to OUR American Icons. I challenge everyone who is serious to contact me at 423-622-5035 lets talk. Blogs are good but we need to move faster. I plan on holding awareness meetings and educate even if I have to have them ifor starter in my home or church. I live in TN and almost no one knows what our land stewarts are doing to OUR wild horses and burros.
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Dee, i tried to call you. THe man who answered said there was no Dee there.
Barbara in KY 270-692-3316
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There is a typo in the above text. The parks are getting $70,000. to $150,000. for each permit to kill a bighorn. These are huge revenues that only a handful of people can shell out. So, while the 10-15 people who are able to outlay that kind of money improve the park, those 10-15 people certainly do nothing for the local communities relying on tourism for their revenue. The locals want the burros to stay. The people who have decided the burros must go are 8 hours away. R.T. thank you for posting this story. We have the same thing unfolding in parks across the nation.
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Typo repaired…that is a lot of money and speaks volumes.
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I think it is a very valid point for the residents of these small towns surrounding these parks. There are so many ways the burro could be promoted. They have pack racing in CO that is hugely popular, it could be done here. There are outfits that enjoy extreme mule riding, this could be promoted. Observation sites could be set up as destinations to reach by mule and with a string of pack donkeys. Cabins if you will where a family could go for time in the wilderness. It could be a type of classroom where groups book for education. Imagine learning about astronomy out in the desert with no light pollution. Imagine all different science categories that can be taught in a unique environment.
When we visited the park gift shop we were stunned that there was not a single gift with the image of a burro. When we inquired why, the cashier explained that Don Shuly had come in and demanded that anything that had a burro on it be removed. This was right after the killings in 2007. What he could not get rid of were all the images of burros in all the history books about the area. Because the history of the burro is very prominent to this area. These hardy, sagacious animals were relied upon by the settlers, miners, and explorers to the area. Don Shuly was seeking to wipe the history of the burro out from the area. But, one can not do that with an animal so central to who and what this area’s history was all about.
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I was just wondering about this this afternoon. So Don Shuly is the man who was told to wipe out the burros? What is his title and who does he answer to?
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I will have to research further. I did find two jobs available; both are Homeland security;
ENFORCEMENT ANALYSIS SPECIALIST
Texas-Marfa Sector HQ. Marfa
Department Of Homeland Security
Customs and Border Protection
$57,408.00 to $106,369.00
Open: 07/25/11 to 08/05/11
Your job will include:
• Analyzing and evaluating various investigative, criminal, and intelligence information in relation to its impact on the agency’s mission and national security.
• Gathering data from local and national intelligence information databases, including law enforcement and other investigative/intelligence information gathering sites.
• Developing and preparing reports, bulletins, lookouts, and other w
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Phil Wilson seems to have the burro eradication job??? Is this up to date?
Science and Resource Management
Chief of Resource Managment Phil Wilson
Resource management at Big Bend encompasses activities related to the management, preservation, and protection of a variety of natural communities and processes, historic structures, cultural landscapes, museum artifacts, and archaeological sites.
Activities within Natural Resource Management include ecosystem monitoring, research, restoration efforts, species-specific management initiatives, wildland fire management, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) management, and general resource protection.
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Great now we have trophy burro hunting. What is wrong with people. The animals are NOT hurting the environment they aren’t keeping other animals from food.
For Pete’s sake they don’t even have a count as to how many burros live in the park. This is management to extinction.
How do these morons get these jobs and keep them? I’m unemployed, can I have a job in this park just counting the animals? How do we get rid of morons like these when we don’t live in Texas? What can we do to help?
And a scarier thought here is–if these morons were fired–what’s to stop them from coming back in to the park and killing again? How do we protect the animals from rear ends like these?
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Marjorie, you are my hero! I am SO happy to see this story hitting the news- FINALLY! You have worked tirelessly for burros for so long, without any recognition or focus on your efforts or their stories. Maybe now someone will listen. I just hope it’s not too late.
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As you know, Elaine, gaining support for the burros has been an uphill battle all the way. They are not flashy, or mystical. Little girls did not dream of finding a burro under their Christmas tree. The burro is a remarkable animal that must be known to understand how amazing they really are. In knowing them you find their grace and their flash. It is in knowing them that one understands that those brains are really attractive. Thank you to the Celebrate the Horse Network for believing in me while I carried out this battle, and now perhaps with the help of WHFF and others our battle to save all of our beloved mustangs and burros will gain momentum until no one can ignore that we are here to stay. Viva el burro!!
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Marjorie, check out Oatman, Arizona – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Old historic mining town that is a great tourist attraction because of the wild burros that wander through town (getting goodies and burro chow from the visitors which is sold by many of the shop keepers LOL) does a booming business. The burros were turned loose when the mines dried up years ago, and when Interstate 40 wiped out travel through all the little towns on Route 66 this was one town that took steps to counteract the loss of travelers – now people go there on purpose and it’s great fun. At least it will give you some ideas.
If you’ll send me your email addy I will send more articles about it. J
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“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
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Mankind? That word seems to be an oxymoron doesn’t it? Man is the worst predator. Greed, great white hunters. Sickening……….
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Publicity – publicity! This senseless policy and its results should be plastered all over the news media. I am sure the majority of Texans and other Americans would be truly outraged if they were informed of what is happening to the burros in the BBRST and that official directives created by upper echelon state employees are apparently driving the actions. So as egregious and regrettable as the situation is, the headline is somewhat misleading because “Texas” is not doing this, only certain elements in the state government are, just as not every BLM employee is involved in the planned eradication of wild horses and burros in other areas. It is incomprehensible how anyone could accept and carry out such orders when the department admittedly hasn’t even done any studies of populations and impact and are apparently just saying “Go forth and kill wherever they are found” but just don’t talk about it publicly. They must have had special training under the experts in the BLM. So what if there are only three or four specific employees with the authorization? Every one in their chain of command up to the very top should be terminated immediately on the grounds of OWS (Operating While Stupid). They could probably find a welcome over at the BLM. If Gov. Perry can’t find the testicular fortitude to clean out that nest of vipers then he shouldn’t even be considered for another term in any public office, let alone one in the White House. Hopefully, honorable Texans will get up their famous hind legs and demand a permanent halt to this cruel and unnecessary practice before the burros are no more.
Get the cattle out of the park. They have a much heavier impact on the range than burros, horses, or even wild bighorn sheep. There aren’t many burros nor are there very many bighorns in there so they could certainly co-exist if humans would just allow them to.
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Sadly, Wambli all indications are that these directives are coming from very high up on the chain of command, and quite possibly the governors office. And, you are right about Texans not doing this. However, TPWD are doing this in the name of Texans stating that they are conserving the park in its natural state for Texans to enjoy. We pay fees to enter that park, we pay taxes to support that park, so yes we are paying for the extermination of these burros. Now, that the word is out maybe we can get the burros the protections afforded them in the 1971 Free roaming wild horse and burro act.
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The animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with extension of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren; they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of the earth.
Henry Beston, The Outermost House, 1928
Anyone who has accustomed himself to regard the life of any living creature as worthless is in danger of arriving also at the idea of worthless human lives. Albert Schweitzer
If all the beasts were gone, men would die from a great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to the man. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons of the Earth.
Chief Seattle of the Suquamish Tribe, letter to President Franklin Pierce
We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.
Immanuel Kant
Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened. Anatole France
Our task must be to free ourselves… by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.
Albert Einstein
Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not die, so do other creatures.
His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Mankind’s true moral test, its fundamental test (which lies deeply buried from view), consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals. And in this respect mankind has suffered a fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it.
Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being
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Excellent quotations Laurie. Down through the centuries there have been men and women with great wisdom and common sense. I am afraid it does not bode well for a human race that has been seduced by the pursuit of physical acquisitions and persists in ignoring the part of being here that is truly important. Sincere connection with all the natural world is imperative if one desires to achieve spiritual growth (not talking about religion) during the blink of an eye they are here as a spiritual being having an Earth experience.
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Not only do cattle have a heavier impact – they are NOT part of the natural scene and in my poor little opinion, their mere presence is a distraction from what visitors expect and want to experience when they spend the money and time to go see the kind of “wild and free” environment the Big Bend was supposedly set aside to be. I also suspect that any ethical hunters (and yes, most hunters are that) that lay out the big bucks to pursue the few big horn rams would be greatly upset if they knew what is going on behind the scenes. Contrary to popular belief the majority of hunters are believers in conserving natural resources and have great respect for the animals they hunt. It is too true there are far too many idiots with hunting licenses but they are the bad apples, not the majority.
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Wambli, you could be right. The hunters might be bothered that the burros are being obliterated for them to have the pleasure of looking down the sites of a gun and feeling the supreme power of life over death as they squeeze the trigger. I am sure they feel great guilt for the burro while they enjoy their trophy head hanging on their wall, lifeless.
I have no problem with hunting when the hunters play by the rules and honor their kill by using every part of it. I do have a problem with trophy hunting. This is not honoring the animal. They do not eat the meat.
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Marjorie, perhaps I was being a little too generous toward those who hunt the big horn because I know what my own reaction would be if I was in their boots and knew what had been going on. Anyone that hunts primarily for the reason of feeling the power of life and death over animals as you describe or to feed their own ego by putting a head on the wall is hunting for the wrong reasons in my opinion and that includes trophy hunting. I don’t know about Texas but most states require that the meat be brought out and if the hunter doesn’t want it then it must be promptly donated to some institution that will use it so it will not be wasted. I grew up hunting because we needed the meat then continued as my own family was growing for the same reasons. We used the whole animal and I tanned and used the hides too. When the point was reached that we no longer needed the meat I stopped and have hunted with nothing more deadly than a camera with a zoom lens and a pencil and notepad. That was over thirty years ago. Thank you for everything you are doing in trying to get this cruel abuse stopped.
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The indifference, callousness and contempt that so many people exhibit toward animals is evil first because it results in great suffering in animals, and second because it results in an incalculably great impoverishment of the human spirit.
Ashley Montagu
Animals are reliable, many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal. Difficult standards for people to live up to.
Alfred A. Montapert
The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them. That’s the essence of inhumanity.
George Bernard Shaw
If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.
St. Francis of Assisi
Each species is a masterpiece, a creation assembled with extreme care and genius.
Edward O. Wilson
The fate of animals is of greater importance to me than the fear of appearing ridiculous; it is indissolubly connected with the fate of men.
Émile Zola
From beasts we scorn as soulless,
In forest, field and den,
The cry goes up to witness
The soullessness of men.
M. Frida Hartley
The human spirit is not dead. It lives on in secret…. It has come to believe that compassion, in which all ethics must take root, can only attain its full breadth and depth if it embraces all living creatures and does not limit itself to mankind.
Albert Schweitzer, Novel Peace Prize address, “The Problem of Peace in the World Today”
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People must have renounced, it seems to me, all natural intelligence to dare to advance that animals are but animated machines…. It appears to me, besides, that [such people] can never have observed with attention the character of animals, not to have distinguished among them the different voices of need, of suffering, of joy, of pain, of love, of anger, and of all their affections. It would be very strange that they should express so well what they could not feel. Voltaire, Traité sur la tolerance
Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.
Thomas A. Edison
To a man whose mind is free there is something even more intolerable in the sufferings of animals than in the sufferings of man. For with the latter it is at least admitted that suffering is evil and that the man who causes it is a criminal. But thousands of animals are uselessly butchered every day without a shadow of remorse. If any man were to refer to it, he would be thought ridiculous. And that is the unpardonable crime.
Romain Rolland, Nobel Prize 1915
Very little of the great cruelty shown by men can really be attributed to cruel instinct. Most of it comes from thoughtlessness or inherited habit. The roots of cruelty, therefore, are not so much strong as widespread. But the time must come when inhumanity protected by custom and thoughtlessness will succumb before humanity championed by thought. Let us work that this time may come.
Albert Schweitzer
Because the heart beats under a covering of hair, of fur, feathers, or wings, it is, for that reason, to be of no account?
Jean Paul Richter
Deliberate cruelty to our defenceless and beautiful little cousins is surely one of the meanest and most detestable vices of which a human being can be guilty.
William Ralph Inge
The indifference, callousness and contempt that so many people exhibit toward animals is evil first because it results in great suffering in animals, and second because it results in an incalculably great impoverishment of the human spirit. All education should be directed toward the refinement of the individual’s sensibilities in relation not only to one’s fellow humans everywhere, but to all things whatsoever.
Ashley Montague
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We must fight against the spirit of unconscious cruelty with which we treat the animals. Animals suffer as much as we do. True humanity does not allow us to impose such sufferings on them. It is our duty to make the whole world recognize it. Until we extend our circle of compassion to all living things, humanity will not find peace.
Albert Schweitzer, The Philosophy of Civilization
If we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop, and do nothing, we make ourselves sharers in the guilt.
‘Black Beauty’ by Anna Sewell
I saw deep in the eyes of the animals the human soul look out upon me. I saw where it was born deep down under feathers and fur, or condemned for a while to roam four-footed among the brambles,I caught the clinging mute glance of the prisoner and swore that I would be faithful.
Henry David Thoreau
All beings tremble before violence. All fear death, all love life. See yourself in others. Then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do?
Buddha
Mercy to animals means mercy to mankind.
Henry Bergh
I am the voice of the voiceless;
Through me the dumb shall speak,
Till the deaf world’s ears be made to hear
The wrongs of the wordless weak.
And I am my brothers keeper,
And I will fight his fights;
And speak the words for beast and bird
Till the world shall set things right.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
We are part of the earth and it is part of us. The perfumes flowers are our sisters; the deer, the horse, the great eagle: these are our brothers. All things are connected like the blood which unites one’s family.
Chief Seattle
To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being. The more helpless the creature, the more that it is entitled to protection by man from the cruelty of man.
Mahatma Gandhi
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Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or works to improve the lot of others … that person sends forth a ripple of hope. And crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.
Robert F. Kennedy
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Thank you for this quote. He is my hero, and has been for many, many years.
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There are approx. 60 news sources/links listed on this website.
http://thetexascloverleaf.blogspot.com/
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This was plastered all over the news media when it was leaked. The story I heard was the man who leaked the killing of the 70 ‘corralled’ burros was then transferred and fired. That the TPWD? (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, I am not sure who this is, Marjorie) have taken to shooting burros on site is obviously against the federal law and outrageous.
Programs for big horn sheep have been going on a very long time. Many have failed. In Southern New Mexico in the 1980s I remember what people went through to try to keep these animals healthy. They kept bringing in new stock and the poorly established sheep always had diseases and needed attention; trapping, dips, inoculations. All of this highly unusual for a ‘wild population’.
My Uncle was a Colonel in the Air Force who was a hunter and often accompanied Generals on hunts in Alaska and in Texas where ‘canned hunts’ and ‘game farms’ of exotics were kept for those who could afford it- to come and ‘hunt’. Ibex were the big thing when I was in my 20s. Later, in the 80s there was a law passed to be rid of the exotics that had been introduced on public lands for hunting. This was responsible but too late. Ibex continue to succeed in places like the Florida Mountains rough terrain where the big horns were less successful.
Big Horn hunting is said to be putting pressure on the Pryor herd also. These sheep have had some success but I think they have been promoted by those who would also profit from them. Trying to retain the popularity and the presence of our wild burros against hunters and the aggressive promotion of Big Horn Sheep has played a huge role in this violent backlash against our wild burros in the West.
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Was your father ever in King Salmon, Alaska? Heard from a friend in the mid-70’s that there really wasn’t any reason to keep the station open save for all the bigwigs that wanted to hunt, fish and camp there. Pretty remarkable location though.
Don’t know if it was state or Feds, but they just closed a VERY popular hiking trail in the southern California low desert because the Big Horn are having “problems”. What’s with the Big Horn obsession? Why not wolves, prairie/sage grouse, bison and wild equines???????
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Uncle, not Dad… He hunted Kodiak bear and fished for salmon on the Katmai Penninsula and hunted Caribou inland. I have no way now to find out other locations. He lived in Alaska for 5 years in the 50s then retired in Texas.
If we were to to go back over the 40 years of the WH&B Program and examine the money put out and the places chosen for the promotion of Big Horn Sheep by the various agencies we would find a very broken, very expensive and only rarely successful series of programs. How long do we have to lose wildlife that the public has given their support to just so elitists can hunt an animal that seems unable to succeed? I am not anti-hunting but I am anti-trophy hunting. I am against Big Horn Sheep always getting the nod when our wild equids are going through the latest and worst struggle for their lives in our nation’s history. The large amounts of money fed to Big Horn programs would certainly lead us to the groups, memberships and individuals who have been behind the Big Horn push. It would be worth asking one of these hunters “Why do you want to hunt Big Horn sheep all over the American West when they are not suited to many of the places chosen for them and they push out protected species?”
It was the story from Big Bend on the burros that brought me back to fight for the wild herds. The burros have always been treated terribly by the powers that be. They have shared the fate of the wild horses intimately.
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It all boils down to survival of the fittest. If the Big Horn can’t survive on their own, excluding molestation by man, do they truly belong?
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When I lived near Las Cruces, NM, and the desert big horn were dying out and other big horn were being introduced it was the mid 80s, people who were volunteers said they thought the plans to reintroduce them were costly and unstable. They felt the money was being wasted then. Funny how borderline projects like this can be taken so far, cost who knows how much and not even be wanted or needed.
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Isn’t the Big Horn debate really about running domestic sheep on wildlife land; much like the cattlemen with assistance from National and State Parks systems whacking buffalo? Same could be said about the diseases experienced by our wild ones because of filthy equipment, domestic style handling and exposure to domestic equines during roundups, stressors and long term holding..
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Mar you are on target. Yes, for being compassionate man, Luis Armendariz was offered a relocation to another part of the state, which he refused. They used this as grounds to fire him, and strip him of his pension. Robert Garcia, received enough pressure from above that he quit the force and moved out of state, I believe to NV where he work security for the casinos. I want to find both of them and have a sit down of all these events. Mike Hill is now retired, but he has his pension. He retired this year, and Don Shuly is still at TPWD hating the burros. The auodads are very overpopulated in the park, and they are an invasive species. They have thrived in the park, and are actually in more direct competition to the bighorn.
As I mentioned in my article, the huge revenues the bighorn are bringing to the park, do not translate to revenue for the towns bordering the parks. It is the 300,000 regular visitors they get a year that spend money in the towns. The people who pay to hunt are too few to have impact as tourists on these towns.
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I would think that we should all get together and send a letter to Austin, TX and tell them how we feel about this. We should also vote out anyone who goes along with killings of these wild burros
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So they shoot burros because the burros get in their way. What do you think they will do when I get in their way? Cowards! Snippers oh that should make them feel macho. Reintroduce bighorn sheep? The wild horses left and came back hundreds of years ago now cattlemen want to call them feral but reintroducing bighorn sheep is native?
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I have 11 little donks the kindest most gentle creatures and to think some idiot would gun them down. I went and hugged my little guys today and cried for our species. I am so sick of this cruelty it never ends. What the hell kind of moral reprobate shoots a donkey? I would love to put all these macho morons in the field with wild boars and no weapons. Then who would be the true hunter???? Surely not the little men without their big guns.
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Reminds me of Wounded Knee. Sad.
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Just two of many important thoughts on this subject:
#1 Did anyone besides me notice that there were no reported shootings during the month of February when Marjorie and Craig were on site? Perhaps the “officials” decided that they would hold off until valid eye-witnesses were gone and could not document their burro murders?
#2 Craig noted that there were still cattle present in the park … talk about non-native species!
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What kind of coward picks off burros with a “sniper” rifle????
Never mind…. rhetorical and scary sanctioned animal abuse.
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Good God this is so wrong! It makes me ill. In my faith the donkey is special. I have a humble little donkey, such an easy keeper and best friend to our horse. It seems with the situation going on in Texas right now, drought, heat and people and animals dying…… are the so valued sheep to kill gonna survive without extra measures? These idiots might want to rethink killing the burros as they are survivors under extreme conditions.
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I cannot believe this! These Bas_____ are really sick! I guess I will be making some more calls tomorrow and will have one more item to add when I go to my Senators office next week. Of all the creatures on Earth these gentle little
creatures are so docile. Where the hell do these Texans get the idea that they can shoot the hell out of everything? Real brave…This is just an EXTENSION OF THE GOOD OL’ BOYS CLUB. God help them all! Whats a
matter with the residents of the area that they don’t stand up for these gentle
creatures. These parks belong to us all, whether we live NEAR THEM OR NOT! Disgusting to the MAX!
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Gail this is not isolated to Texas. It is happening in parks across the country. In the Grand Canyon they shot hundreds, looking for a complete reduction of burros. They also shot several hundred in Death Valley, and also the Mojave burros were shot at the China Lake navel base which is on HA land. The state of Texas has stated that they want to eradicate the burro from all of its state parks which sounds unreasonable and hateful to me.
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The image of a foal trying to nurse from a dead mother is more than I can bear. Then the “TPWD quietly reinstated their policy to eradicate all burros from state parks in Texas, and shoot them as a matter of “opportunity” … I can’t process thinking like this. No science, no attempts at adoption .. nada? Are these people cavemen? Why don’t they just go after each other with clubs?
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That is the Canadian Sport they go after Baby Seals with their Clubs,Bashing their heads in.I reckon between Harper and Obama they will wipe their countries clean of all other living creatures,leaving only those that can VOTE..
We are Safe us Perfect Humans.
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That is the Canadian Sport they go after Baby Seals with their Clubs,Bashing their heads in.I reckon between Harper and Obama they will wipe their countries clean of all other living creatures,leaving only those that can VOTE..
We are Safe us Perfect Humans.
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I read this story after spending a day in the wild viewing numerous deer, wild turkeys, squirrels, rabbits, and driving past pasture after pasture of cattle, sheep, and goats. The boundaries between what is wildlife and what is livestock are not blurred. In this state there are seasons where deer, wild fowl, and bear can be hunted with rifle and another for hunting with bow.
I grew up with hunting, and like some others, have no problem with hunting as long as the meat is used for food. I cannot, however, comprehend, introducing a species into an area where it does not exist for the purpose of killing it. This is just wrong for a wildlife agency funded with tax payer dollars to have a few under educated nitwits decide that federally protected animals should not be federally protected, andnthen go into theirmhabitatmandnshoot them.
I do not know if the area wherenthese burros exists allowsmthem federal protection, but if it does, these burro assassins should be charged and prosecuted.
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Christie, it is sad to say, but the is no BLM here. These parks are managed through the department of Agriculture, or USDA. Thus, these burros have no protections. This is why I want to get legislation that gives the burros and mustangs protections that follow them not just the land on which they stand. I want the fact that they were given title as national heritage species mean that they are protected. Period.
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Marjorie, the International Equine Conference would be a good place for these men to tell their story.
http://www.equinewelfarealliance.org/Int_l_Equine_Conference.html
When: September 26, 27 & 28, 2011
Where: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS)
4301 Jones Bridge Road
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
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Disgusting and heartbreaking. Nothing more dangerous than a little man, with a little d…, with nothing to pull on but a big trigger.
Not sure, but could SOME of these people be contacted…
http://www.nps.gov/bibe/parkmgmt/partners.htm
http://foreverresorts.com/welcome.cfm
http://www.nps.gov/bibe/parkmgmt/staffandoffices.htm
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http://www.ecrater.com/p/5919986/1941-the-flight-into-egypt-vintage
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Burros are not native to North America. Therefore, they are not native to Big Bend Ranch State Park. Just because a species has been here for centuries does not mean it belong in an ecosystem.
Bighorn sheep, on the other hand, have a historic range in BBRSP and the surrounding mountain ranges. Re-establishing a population at BBRSP could do wonders for the park and the species as a whole. They were not relocated to the state park for hunting; in fact, there is no public hunting for bighorn sheep in BBRSP. Overall, TPWD issues two or three permits per year for hunting bighorn sheep.
Finally, if you are going to rail into one of our state agencies, please check your facts regarding park employees and visitation. It is difficult to respect an article with incorrectly spelled names and inaccurate representations of state parks.
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KT What we want to do is get more information. The Big Horn aspect needs to be researched and put out there for all to see. “Historic Range” is what the burros have, don’t you realize that? There have been precedents set, historically. But we, as a nation, have allowed our government to take things into their own hands and these decisions and actions are not what we want. We are moving towards humane treatment across the board and then we have these unacceptable actions happening because the government is impatient and no longer wants the public input and involvement? So you think we should just shut up and go away??? No, we will have to get policy changed and people moved out who are doing these violent actions. We still have a say in many ways and we will use them all! Sorry you have chosen to get nit picky with our basically informal forum. What the hell has that got to do with shooting burros and showing preference to Big Horn sheep? mar
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By the way, the only time the presence of big horn sheep has “done wonders” for any place is when they have been hunted, they are not a tourist draw! Get real. They will be hinted eventually. You and I know this! m
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typo; hunted not hinted
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KT…the issue with burros is NOT whether they are native species (although I would say they appear to be doing better than Big Horn Sheep on their own)…the issue here is that the Feds say they are protected AND, that they are being whacked this horrific, cruel, sadistic way for NO REASON GIVEN.
I don’t want to argue about private versus state versus federal lands with regard to these animals. Texas and reservations and even Feds are loopholed ad nausea um regarding that point and also interfere with the migratory nature of many species. Certainly the burros of Big Bend don’t migrate (at least to my knowledge) like the wild horses, buffalo, elk etc….but why aren’t they part of the wordsmithed game that is the 1971 Act? Maybe they are??
And KT, if you live in Texas…I’d be concerned that the people giving those psychotic orders and the ones carrying them out might be your neighbor, fellow PTSO member or sitting next to you in church. …or are you one of them KT?
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KT IS one of them!!!
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Ovis canadensis sierrae. Sheep originally crossed to North America over the Bering land bridge from Siberia. Wild sheep crossed the Bering land bridge from Siberia during the Pleistocene (~750,000 years ago) and subsequently spread through western North America. Am I the first one to discover this info? Hardly,,, hey KT!
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Yes, I stand corrected. We certainly would not want any body to have the incorrect spelling of the shooter, now would we? Dan Sholly, not Don Shuly. Pardon me, I have had some computer issues which made it impossible for me to do the check on that spelling. He still shot them, he still hates them, he is still there.
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After all the burro has done for man and been over the ages, its roots mainly here in North America, and now to be treated like this, shot like a worthless nuisance. This is a shame to mankind and there will be consequence for those who have perpetrated or permitted this.
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Craig, please explain to KT that the burro originated in North America, as a direct ancestor of the dawn horse. And yes, for thousands of years the burro has toiled for the pursuits of man. They were loyal companions, and stalwart members of every expedition that made an attempt to traverse these harsh climates. Without them mankind would have had a much harder time establishing their presence in the west. It seems that the fact that the burro is the real native and the bighorn is not are inconvenient facts to swallow. What is more, the only ones benefiting from your permit sales, and yes they have had sales and hunts already, are the coffers of the state. These permits benefit a handful of the elite. The 10-15 people per year who buy these permits do not do a single thing for the towns who are on the outskirts of the park and depend on tourism for their income. The fact is that the real revenue for these townships is from the 300,000 visitors a year who come to see live animals, and nature.
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And when I refer to the 300,000 visitors per year, this is overall for both the Big Bend Ranch State Park and Big Bend National Park which sit almost side by side.
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The pie charts in this report show how little is given to the Wild Burros in comparison to any of the other wildlife, and it shows how few of them are left. If anything, there are fewer of them now than when this report was done.
There was something very sinister about this whole thing. It is little wonder that they didn’t want the public to know about it.
http://americanherds.blogspot.com/
SPECIAL REPORT
THE THRIVING NATURAL ECOLOGICAL BALANCE
A Comparative Analysis of Free-Roaming Wild Horses & Burros
In Relation to Habitat, Wildlife and Livestock Populations
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These Texans who do this kind of shooting of defenseless animals that should be protected are masquerading around like something official and in fact are pure savages. It would be more productive ecologically if they aimed the guns at their own heads….and left the wildlife alone; burros, sheep, et al.
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Uummmm? Sociopaths/Psychopaths with permission would be a better term. But either way, who would want to have a family member or neighbor that when you asked, “How do you put money on the table Daddy? Well, sweetheart, I pickoff burros in parks with a sniper rifle and they die slow nasty deaths when I make a sloppy shot….but they feed the other animals out there…except the Big Horn, of course. It’s an honest paycheck for an honest day’s work.”
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Louie, thanks for sending the link to American herds. Cindy did so much work with this valuable research. We can use it in replies to the BLM and EA comments. The pie charts show how very little range the wild horses and burros get.
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Cindy McDonald will be sorely missed. I am hoping upon hope that she will come back on board. She just could not deal with the double standards, and corruption anymore. Time off from the issue will do her good mentally. She fought hard for five years on this issue, and said she felt like she was beating her head against a wall. We really do need her.
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http://www.saveourwildhorse.com/PDF/Herd-Stat/BurroInfo/BigBend-TX/Ltr_Gallego_BigBendBurros_1-18-08 Letter from the original campaign to stop the shooting
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The Burros even made it on to Oprah’s. We’re still trying to get the Wild Horses booked on her show:
http://www.oprah.com/world/Small-Town-USA
Whether it’s the “troll capital of the world” or home to a national grits festival, every town has a story. They might be small, but they each have something unique about them, something that puts them on the map, something residents are known to brag about (and justly so). Explore and celebrate small-town USA.
By Bradford Dworak
Original Content | January 27, 2010
Oatman, Arizona
Wild burros, or Spanish donkeys, still roam the streets in Oatman, Arizona, and the residents wouldn’t have it any other way. Located across the Colorado River and up the hill from Laughlin, Nevada, Oatman is an authentic western ghost town and mining camp founded in the early 1900s after prospectors struck gold.
Though Oatman’s current population of 150 is a far cry from the nearly 4,000 who once called it home, it has remained prosperous, and its residents take pride in keeping the town as authentic as possible.
Oatman’s wild burros and gunshots at high noon are the biggest draw for the nearly 500,000 tourists who visit each year.
The Wild West–style shoot-outs that are performed daily take place in the heart of Main Street. Visitors are treated to a show that begins by the unmistakable sound of a double-barrel shotgun.
Another unmistakable tradition in Oatman is the annual sidewalk egg fry. Every Fourth of July at noon, the entire town gathers on Main Street for the unconventional cooking contest. Contestants have 15 minutes to fry the best breakfast using just two eggs and a piece of tinfoil. They can use any type of solar heat, mirror, or magnifying glass, but with summer temperatures often reaching well above 100 degrees, the pavement often does the trick, heating up just like an oven.
Despite the hundreds of thousands who visit Oatman each year, residents say they live very laid-back lives. “The stores open at 10 a.m. and close at 5 p.m., and if you’re out after 5, we [might] run your toes over in the road,” says Jerry Love, who has lived in Oatman for 21 years.
Love doesn’t think Oatman is a tourist trap, but rather a place for folks to step back into history and learn about the richness of the land. “What you see is what you get,” Love says. “And we are damn proud of it.”
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The Burros even made it on to Oprah’s. We’re still trying to get the Wild Horses booked on her show:
http://www.oprah.com/world/Small-Town-USA
Whether it’s the “troll capital of the world” or home to a national grits festival, every town has a story. They might be small, but they each have something unique about them, something that puts them on the map, something residents are known to brag about (and justly so). Explore and celebrate small-town USA.
By Bradford Dworak
Original Content | January 27, 2010
Oatman, Arizona
Wild burros, or Spanish donkeys, still roam the streets in Oatman, Arizona, and the residents wouldn’t have it any other way. Located across the Colorado River and up the hill from Laughlin, Nevada, Oatman is an authentic western ghost town and mining camp founded in the early 1900s after prospectors struck gold.
Though Oatman’s current population of 150 is a far cry from the nearly 4,000 who once called it home, it has remained prosperous, and its residents take pride in keeping the town as authentic as possible.
Oatman’s wild burros and gunshots at high noon are the biggest draw for the nearly 500,000 tourists who visit each year.
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There’s progress for the TX wild burros! A new Change.org petition to stop the killing is going viral … almost 4500 signatures in a week and momentum is building fast.
Here is a link to the petition started by Karen VA Luce.
http://www.change.org/petitions/texas-stop-killing-wild-burros
The petition will go to:
State Parks Division Director (Brent Leisure)
Executive Director, TX Parks & Wildlife Department (Carter Smith)
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (John Young)
Texas Wildlife Commission Chairman (T. Dan Friedkin)
Governor (Rick Perry)
Also, Horseback Magazine just published a feature story on the issue and how fast the movement is growing to stop the eradication of this important, historic herd.
http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/11678
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I have seen a lot of outcry to stop eradicating burros. Burros are a symbol of American and Mexican heritage. Burros remind us of history, that pioneering spirit that drove us West.
But, a few things to remember our ancestors brought these non-indigenous species to the Americas; just like they brought the pigeon. I have much admiration for the contribution that Burros played in the forming of Texas, the US, and Mexico. But under no circumstances are these animals’ natives. However, due to the negligence of a few they have become a problem and endanger native species. The manner in which these animals are removed I find distasteful. But, rather than going off on some tear jerking appeal, go with the facts: nonnative, invasive, bad for endangered species. So will you shout just as loud when our native species are destroyed?
Americans who know the value of native species understand the need for reintroduction. Remember, we screwed up the environment when we tried to bend it towards our will. Now, that a well educated group exists to help with the process of restoring America’s native wildlife, how is that a bad thing? We have put wolves back in Yellowstone, and Bison. These animals belong here; have been here since before out earliest ancestors.
No one with any heart wants to see any animal needlessly destroyed. But unless you, yes, YOU have a real viable alternative that you are willing to fund; I see no other alternative. Quit trying to stop the removal of these animals unless you have a viable, fundable, alternative that you can put in to place today, not tomorrow today. Take real action or shut up
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I disagree with you. Your science is askew and by the way did you know there was 500 bison removed from yellow stone never to be returned. The donkeys do not deserve to be shot. I am very familiar with the donkey situation and you are wrong. The people do not want the donkeys shot. They enjoy the donkeys. Problem is the donkeys are rarely seen. It is the big horn sheep that is the problem. Once again sheep and cattle are put ahead of all other animals. Why is that? Could it be the welfare cattle and sheep farmers have power in high offices? The same elected officials that call our wild horses feral, four legged roaches and four legged rats. You could go to work with the BLM because you sound like you have been drinking their cool aid. You are probably for slaughter of our horses to. What a sad little person you are.
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Right on, Dee. Great to talk to you this AM BTW. I’m glad to connect with others who know the facts and care.
Big horn sheep are NOT a native species. They are from Eurasia . The Equus species originated in North America and is a native species. And as Mar pointed out burros are protected wildlife. Can Texas be sued for breaking the law?
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Brian, Wild horses and burros are protected Wildlife. They Belong here. I have been involved with the reintroduction of wolves since the mid 80s and I have fought with the killing of our pure wild bison in the greater Yellowstone area.
What you say shows you are not very familiar with what really is going on
here. You should shut up or learn more.
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