REWARD Increases to over $50,000 in California Wild Burro Killings
NEEDLES, Calif. (August 26, 2019) – An anonymous donor behind The Platero Project, a burro protection initiative, has added to the American Wild Horse Campaign donation to the reward fund for justice in the case of the gunning down of wild California burros, bringing the total reward fund to over $50,000.
The reward seeks information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer or killers of more than 40 federally-protected wild burros shot dead along the I-15 corridor between Halloran Springs, California, and Primm, Nevada. The burros -- including an entire group of 16 gunned down in cold blood -- were found in various states of decomposition over the past three months. One burro found riddled with gunshots but barely alive, was humanely euthanized.
“We are eternally grateful to the Platero Project for assisting in the effort to bring justice to these innocent animals who have been brutally gunned down,” said Suzanne Roy of the American Wild Horse Campaign. “Burros are amazing creatures and an iconic part of the American West. They deserve our utmost respect and compassion.”
BLM law enforcement is leading the investigation into the illegal burro killings, in coordination with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to call the WeTip hotline at 800-78CRIME (800-782-7436) or visit http://www.wetip.com. Callers may remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward for information leading to the arrest(s) and conviction(s) of any person or persons responsible for the deaths of these protected animals.
The Platero Project, named for a small donkey and main character of a classic short story by Spanish Nobel Laureate, Juan Ramon Jimenez, seeks to elevate the status of federally-protected wild burros and increase awareness of these animals as intelligent and unique in the natural world. The project is funded by an anonymous donor who developed a deep appreciation for burros after reading the story as a child, who feels that burros are underrepresented in the reporting of the plight of burros and mustangs on the range, and who is very passionate about and dedicated to saving America remaining wild burro herds.
One of the project’s initiatives is funding a humane fertility control program for wild burros in the Bureau of Land Management’s Black Mountain Burro Herd Management Area in Arizona. The program is a partnership between the Humane Society of the United States and the BLM.
Wild burros are protected under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. Anyone arrested and found guilty of willfully violating a regulation issued pursuant to this Act, shall be subject to a fine of not more than $2,000, or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both. These penalties can apply to each count charged.
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