Want to adopt a wild burro or horse? Burro Palooza is for you

Looking to adopt a wild burro or wild horse? Burro Palooza might be the thing for you.

The local installment of Burro Palooza, an effort by the federal Bureau of Land Management to pair these wild animals with worthy homes, took place this weekend in Blue Diamond just outside Las Vegas.

“Most burros available at these events will be untrained,” according to the BLM’s website. “Untrained animals are $125 on a first come, first served basis. Trained horses start at $1,000 and trained burros start at $500, increasing depending on interest.”

Other Burro Paloozas took place earlier this month in Arizona. The local edition happened at Oliver Ranch, on state Route 159 in Red Rock National Conservation Area, from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

But not just anybody could show up and grab a burro or take home a horse. Interested adopters, the BLM said on its website, had to be 18. They also had to have “approved facilities to keep the animal(s)” and adequate transportation — a BLM-approved trailer — to get the animal home. Adopters were also asked to apply online before the event at BLM’s Online Corral.

The BLM added that all animals had been examined by a veterinarian, vaccinated, de-wormed, and had a current negative Coggins test. A Coggins test is a blood test that detect equine infectious anemia, a viral disease that affects animals including horses and donkeys, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website.

The event was part of Wild Horse and Burro Awareness Week, which ran from March 1 through Saturday. The week is “centered around the March 5 birthday of Velma Bronn Johnston,” the BLM said on its website. Johnston, also known as “Wild Horse Annie,” was known “for her tireless dedication to the welfare and preservation of free-roaming horses and burros on public lands,” according to the BLM.

“The BLM offers wild horses and burros gathered from public lands in the west to qualified individuals who must demonstrate humane care for the animal,” the BLM’s website said. “Wild horses are known for their sure-footedness, strength, intelligence, and endurance. With kindness and patience, these animals can be trained for many uses.”

Contact Brett Clarkson at bclarkson@reviewjournal.com