Sunday, December 29, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Burros create problems at state wildlife refuge

Animals that gather along state highway cause most worry

A burro stands next to a road in the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge in a photo taken this month. Burros are creating problems for motorists and, potentially, pronghorn antelope on the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, officials said. AP Photo

SHELDON NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE -- Burros are creating hazards for motorists and are a potential threat to pronghorn antelope on the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, officials said.

Because of that, managers and supervisors at the Sheldon-Hart Mountain Refuges office in Lakeview, Ore., are looking for ways to reduce their numbers.

Most worrisome, according to refuge managers, are the burros that congregate along state Highway 140, especially between Virgin Valley and the Big Springs Reservoir, where the speed limit is 70 mph.

"There have been several burros hit on the highway, so it's a definite safety issue," Mike Nunn, who oversees the Sheldon-Hart complex on the Nevada-Oregon line, told the Klamath Falls (Ore.) Herald & News.

Officials estimate 150 to 200 feral burros graze on Sheldon lands.

"We'd really like to reduce the burros because of the accidents," added Marla Bennett, a wildlife biologist who is gathering data on the Sheldon burros and knows firsthand about the dangers they pose to speeding motorists, especially at night.

"Drivers can't see them."

Bennett said nearly a half-dozen major accidents involving burros have occurred since April.

In most accidents, the animals are killed and vehicles damaged.

Officials hope public concern will aid efforts to relocate the burros.

"The burros we're targeting are the ones that are getting hit," Bennett said.

She and other U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials are discussing possible transplants with groups that have created burro sanctuaries near Death Valley, Calif.

They also hope a large portion of the Sheldon herd can be put into an adoption program.

Besides safety concerns, Bennett and Nunn emphasize that burros are not native to the high desert landscape.

It's believed burros were brought into the area by miners and Basque and Irish sheepherders, who used the beasts of burden to pull sheep wagons or carry supplies.

Wildlife experts fear the growing number of burros could harm the area's pronghorn antelope population.

The burros' favored habitat are salt desert shrubs such as greasewood and tumbleweed, which serve as occasional winter range for pronghorn.

"If the burros were in competition with antelope, I don't know what would happen," Bennett said.

Although burros typically congregate in groups of two to five, Bennett has also seen groups of 16 and 26, usually along streams already in poor condition from overgrazing.

Cattle have been eliminated from the Sheldon over the years, most recently as environmentalists have bought out grazing permits.

Bennett and Nunn are concerned that public affection for the animals may overshadow problems they create.

"A lot of people love them," Bennett said.

"Those little ones are very cute with their fuzzy faces, but they're not good for the wildlife," added Nunn.

"We're working very carefully on a possible sanctuary program because we want to make darn sure each one of them is humanely treated."