Reward for Arrest in Killings of California’s Wild Burros Now Over $50,000

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The reward to find the party responsible for killing the iconic wild burros of California’s Mojave Desert has risen to over $50,000. Since May, 42 burro carcasses containing gunshot wounds have been discovered along a 60-mile stretch of Interstate 15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

The American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign) donated to the reward fund, and according to a statement released by the organization, an anonymous donor behind The Platero Project has added to that donation.

“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,” Suzanne Roy of AWHC said in the release. “Burros are amazing creatures and an iconic part of the American West. They deserve our utmost respect and compassion.”

Since 2017, the Platero Project, a four-year pilot project and collaboration between The Humane Society of the United States and U.S. Bureau of Land Management, has worked on finding methods of humane management of the burro population in the Black Mountain Herd Management Area of northwestern Arizona.

The BLM is leading the investigation. Deputy director for policy and programs William Perry Pendley said in a statement Friday they will not rest until the responsible parties are arrested and prosecuted. Additional investigating agencies include the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Wild horses and burros are protected under federal law, and the fine for harassing, branding, or killing one is up to $2,000 and one year in jail.

The public is asked to call the federal WeTip hotline at 800-782-7463 or visit WeTip online with any information about the killings.

Originally posted by 8 News Now