BLM to gather wild burros in the Black Mountain Herd Management Area
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KINGMAN, Ariz. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will begin a wild burro gather on Jan. 8, 2024, in the Black Mountain Herd Management Area, located west of Kingman, in Mohave County. The gather will remove up to 1,000 excess wild burros to address herd health and impacts to rangeland health, wildlife habitat and roadway safety concerns associated with herd overpopulation. The Black Mountain herd is estimated to consist of nearly 1,925 wild burros — more than three times the appropriate herd management level of 478, which is a threat to the long term health of the land and the burros themselves.
The gather is expected to take up to eight weeks and will be conducted using the helicopter-assisted method. Gathered burros will be humanely transported to the BLM Wild Horse and Burro facilities in Florence, Ariz., or Ridgecrest, Calif., where they will be prepared for private placement.
“Animals removed from the Black Mountain Herd Management Area will be available for adoption or sale through the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Private Placement and Care Program,” said Amanda Dodson, Kingman field manager.
Any burros gathered during operations that were part of the Humane Society Porcine Zona Pellucida (PZP) fertility control project will be treated with PZP and released back to the area near their capture site. This will include jennies that received PZP during the trial, who will receive a booster dose, as well as those that were part of the control group, which will receive an initial dose.
“Wild burros essentially have no natural predators, resulting in a rapid increase in population,” said Dodson. “If not appropriately managed, herds can double in size every five years. The gather is being conducted to address herd health and overpopulation concerns with a future goal of maintaining a thriving, natural ecological balance on public lands in the Black Mountain Herd Management Area.”
The gather will also address human health and safety concerns within the local area related to vehicle collisions with burros on the roadways and damaging private property. For these reasons, local communities in Mohave County have requested that the BLM address the wild burro overpopulation in the Black Mountains.
The gather impacts are described and analyzed in the Black Mountain Herd Management Area Wild Burro Gather Environmental Assessment (EA). The EA and Decision Record are posted on the BLM website. To learn more about the program, including how to adopt or purchase a wild horse or burro, visit the BLM National Wild Horse and Burro website.
Limited public viewing will be available. Please contact Dolores Garcia, public affairs specialist, at 602-417-9241 to schedule a viewing opportunity.
2024 Black Mountain HMA Wild Burro Gather | Bureau of Land Management (blm.gov)
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.