The first asses (the proper term but commonly referred to as Donkeys or Burros) came to the Americas on ships of the second voyage of Christopher Columbus and were landed at Hispaniola in 1495. The first North American donkeys may have been the two taken to Mexico by Juan de Zumárraga, the first bishop of Mexico, who arrived there on 6 December 1528, while the first donkeys to reach what is now the United States may have crossed the Rio Grande with Juan de Oñate, in April 1598.and later by Jesuit Missionaries, while establishing monasteries out West. Wild Burros have long ears, a short mane and reach a height of up to 5 feet at the shoulders. They vary in color from black to brown to gray.
Originally from Africa (where they were called the Wild Ass) these pack animals were prized for their hardiness in arid country. They are sure-footed, can locate food in barren terrain and can carry heavy burdens for days through hot, dry environments. Later in time, miners used the burros extensively during the gold and silver rush days of the nation. Many of the descendants of these burros, much like their distant cousin, the mustang, escaped or were abandoned by settlers, ranchers, prospectors, Native American tribes and the U.S. Calvary, between the late 1880’s up to the 1930’s, thus establishing the first wild burro herds.
Burros are probably the most misunderstood of all the Equus. Many folks wrongly interpret the burro’s vast intelligence for nothing more than stubbornness being dumb, due completely to the human’s lack of intelligence when communicating with them! This is due to the burro’s staunch self preservation mind set, however, once a burro has allowed someone into “their’ world, your in for life, just as with the mustangs.
They make incredibly affectionate pets, once they are trained properly, and accept several types of training, including, pulling carts, packing, riding (only large ones) and farming. One keynote on burros; they are very easy keepers, eat about an 1/3rd of what horses do and drink very little water compared to horses. They have very hardy constitutions, strong feet and mind and have a very long life span, sometimes into their early 40’s!
Funny Farm Mustangs was honored to be selected as a participant, in the Platero Project, hosted by the Humane Society of the United States. As the recipient of a five-year $760,000 grant from an anonymous donor, The Humane Society of the United States has launched “The Platero Project” to promote the protection of wild burros managed by the Bureau of Land Management. 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 a donor, who cares deeply about the humane treatment of burros, and it is named for the Spanish Nobel Laureate Juan Ramon Jimenez’s book about a faithful and friendly donkey named Platero. To learn more, please click Here.
Funny Farm Mustangs recognizes the importance of a strong, committed working relationship with the BLM, the Humane Society of the United States and other burro organizations to facilitate the gentling, training and adoption of a true piece of our history, the wild burro.