Thursday, February 6, 2014

Reward offered in Castle Hot Springs, Ariz., Wild Burro Shooting

Humane Society of the United States

Two wild burros found shot to death
The Humane Society of the United States, through its Platero Project, is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for shooting two wild burros.
A concerned resident notified the Bureau of Land Management that two federally-protected mature burros were found dead, apparently victims of gunshot wounds. The shooting occurred last week in the BLM’s Lake Pleasant Herd Management Area northwest of Phoenix. The BLM is investigating the incident.
Anyone with information on the Lake Pleasant burro killings is encouraged to contact the BLM at 800-637-9152. All calls are confidential.
Kari Nienstedt, Arizona state director for The HSUS said: “We hope that the reward will assist in the BLM’s effort to find the killers of these burros and bring them to justice. Wild burros are protected under federal law as living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West that enrich the lives of the American people. They must be cherished and protected on the habitat that remains for these noble animals in the American West. We thank the BLM for investigating this tragic incident.”
Fewer than 7,000 wild burros remain on BLM lands in the West; more than half of them are located in Arizona. In June 2013, the National Academy of Sciences advised the BLM to evaluate whether the low allowable management levels the agency has set for burros can sustain healthy populations. The BLM conducts periodic roundups and removals of burros from the range, but the NAS warned that “removing burros permanently from the range could jeopardize the genetic health of the total population.”
The HSUS’s Platero Project was launched in April of 2013 to promote the protection of wild burros managed by the BLM. The aim of the project is to develop partnerships and programs to research the effectiveness of contraceptive vaccine on wild burro herds and to reduce the number of wild burros currently living in BLM holding areas by increasing adoptions and relocating difficult-to-place burros to sanctuaries. The project was financed by an anonymous donor who cares deeply about the humane treatment of burros.
Media Contact: Naseem Amini, 301-548-7793, namini@humanesociety.org

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