Wild burro removal plans underway in Lake Pleasant to reduce herd

Officials look to reduce wild burro herd near Lake Pleasant

A federal agency is saying there are too many wild burros around Lake Pleasant. FOX 10's Megan Spector learns how officials are beginning a program to reduce the herd.

LAKE PLEASANT, Ariz. - Wild burros are part of the landscape around Lake Pleasant, but a federal agency says they’re beginning a program to reduce the herd.

What we know:

Burros are a common sight around Lake Pleasant, but the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) says there are too many. 

By the numbers:

The BLM is trying to remove more than 1,000 burros, getting the number from 2,300 down to about 200. The bureau declared the appropriate management level range to be 140 to 250.

The goal, according to officials, is to help with the safety of both the animals and the community.

What they're saying:

Soleil Dolce the Vice President of the Arizona Equine Rescue Organization believes the BLM is taking this action because the herd is getting into urban areas.

"If you look at all of the construction and building and things that have been happening out there in that area – a lot of the territory that the burros used to have available to them has shrunk, so we’re having a lot more burro interfaces in urban areas," Dolce said. "So there’s been more of them getting hit by cars and going into neighborhoods, etc. where they wouldn’t normally be."

What's next:

She said the burros will be removed and placed into holding facilities and then be put up for adoption. However, she believes there are better ways to manage the population.