The Liberal Gun Club Forum

More than 40 wild burros have been found shot and killed along the Interstate 15 near the Nevada state line, Federal officials said on Friday, and they’ve offered a reward of up to $18,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. It is one of the largest killings of its kind on public land managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Southern California, officials said. A total of 42 wild burro carcasses with gunshot wounds have been found in various states of decomposition near the freeway corridor through the Clark Mountain Herd Area managed by the Needles field office of the BLM.

“We will pursue every lead until we’ve arrested and prosecuted those responsible for these cruel, savage deaths,” said William Perry Pendley, the BLM’s Deputy Director for policy and programs, “and we welcome the public’s help to bring the perpetrator or perpetrators to justice.” Details about the ongoing investigation were scarce. However, BLM officials said the burros, including several juveniles, were shot in the neck with a rifle. Some were brought down while drinking water in the Halloran Springs area.

Animal protection organizations said they were outraged by the slaughter and have contributed thousands of dollars to the reward. “It’s a travesty that these animals would be gunned down,” said Grace Kuhn, spokeswoman for the nonprofit American Wild Horse Campaign. “There’ve been isolated incidents before over the years, but nothing on this scale in memory.” Neda DeMayo, president of the nonprofit Return to Freedom, said, “I’ve been told that at least one of the burros was still alive when it was discovered by a passerby. But it succumbed to its injuries by the time BLM investigators arrived on the scene.” “It’s all so unbelievable,” she added. “Crazy. Hostile. Cruel.”

Burros are not native to the West’s deserts, but they became some its most valued resources: sure-footed in rugged terrain, capable of carrying heavy loads long distances, and withstanding extremes in temperatures of cold and heat. In the 1920s and 30s, they were turned loose and replaced by Model-A Fords and other vehicles. Since then, they have multiplied without restraint with few predators to check their numbers. With populations that doubled every four to five years, they’ve managed to survive by feeding on the sage and wild growth of the Mojave Desert.

By the 1950s, wanton slaughter of wild burros in California’s desert and mountains had reached such proportions that the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals pressed for legislation to protect the creatures from trigger-happy hunters. One killing ground was Homewood Canyon, near Trona, about 240 miles northeast of Los Angeles, where the SPCA officials in 1953 reported a shocking scene: Over an area of 50 acres, they found 50 burro carcasses. Only a few had bullet holes in the head, indicating that most had been left wounded where they fell.

Today, the animals are protected from capture, branding, harassment or death under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, which considers them an integral part of the natural system of public lands managed by the BLM. Violations of the act are subject to a fine of up to $2,000, or imprisonment for up to one year, or both, for each count charged.

Hiker wrote: Tue Aug 27, 2019 4:47 pm Yes, this is deplorable. As is those assholes that drive around country roads and shoot every dog that barks at them. As well as those assholes that shoot road signs. And I could go on and on with all the ways that gun owner are our worst enemy. They need a public spanking.

Marlene wrote: Tue Aug 27, 2019 11:35 pm I like guns, but I definitely don’t like gun people.

Marlene wrote:I like guns, but I definitely don’t like gun people.

kronkmusic wrote: Wed Aug 28, 2019 12:38 am

Marlene wrote:I like guns, but I definitely don’t like gun people.

I feel you on this. A significant portion of the gun community is alright. Respectable, honest people who happen to like guns. Hell, for a large chunk of the gun community, owning a 10/22 or a .308 bolt action is like owning a fishing rod in Florida, it's something you grew up with and you just kinda do, it's generational and cultural. But for a non-zero, arguably significant portion of the gun community, they're just a bunch jackasses with deadly toys.

geno wrote: Wed Aug 28, 2019 11:29 pm Wish I hadn't clicked on this one. I adopted a Mustang from the BLM in 1984. The BLM had brought 150 mustangs and 75 burros from a holding facility in Susanville Ca. to a stockyard in Michigan. That first day about 3/4 of the people who came to adopt, selected burros, and although I was number 24 to pick that day, I was able to get my first choice, a three year old 14 1/2 hand dark bay stallion, who carried about four hoof shaped wounds on his body. His eyes were runny, and it made me think of the horse from a movie I had seen years before "The Wonderful Country" as in the movie I named him
Lágrimas ("tears"). He was with me till age caught up with him in 2013.
I don't think mankind would have ever progressed to where we are today; without the assistance Equines gave us in the past.
If there's a god; I'm certain there's a special hell for any human animal who could be this cruel.

P.S. Don't get me started on Ronny Raygun, the COWboy who ramp up the wholesale removal of these animals from the public rangelands.

K9s wrote: Wed Aug 28, 2019 11:41 pm

geno wrote: Wed Aug 28, 2019 11:29 pm Wish I hadn't clicked on this one. I adopted a Mustang from the BLM in 1984. The BLM had brought 150 mustangs and 75 burros from a holding facility in Susanville Ca. to a stockyard in Michigan. That first day about 3/4 of the people who came to adopt, selected burros, and although I was number 24 to pick that day, I was able to get my first choice, a three year old 14 1/2 hand dark bay stallion, who carried about four hoof shaped wounds on his body. His eyes were runny, and it made me think of the horse from a movie I had seen years before "The Wonderful Country" as in the movie I named him
Lágrimas ("tears"). He was with me till age caught up with him in 2013.
I don't think mankind would have ever progressed to where we are today; without the assistance Equines gave us in the past.
If there's a god; I'm certain there's a special hell for any human animal who could be this cruel.

P.S. Don't get me started on Ronny Raygun, the COWboy who ramp up the wholesale removal of these animals from the public rangelands.

We co-evolved with dogs and horses/camels/burros. With dogs as our ears & noses, and horses, camels, burros, etc as our strength, we wouldn't have been able to feed our people, expand empires, and have as much leisure time. Of course, some of our ancestors decided to also enslave other peoples ancestors because horses and dogs couldn't serve them food and care for their children.

When humans treat other humans and animals with compassion and respect, we might well be on our way to deserving the title "human".