Sinbad Burro Roundup: Ongoing Efforts to Manage Wild Burro Populations
Since March 14, 2016, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Price Field Office in Utah has been bait trapping and removing wild burros from the Sinbad Herd Management Area (HMA). To date, 126 burros have been captured and sent to the Axtell, Utah holding facility. As of April 6, one burro—a 3-year-old jack—died due to impact with corral panels at the bait-trap site while being loaded into the trailer.
The Sinbad HMA is located in southern Emery County, approximately 30 miles west of Green River, Utah, in the San Rafael Swell area. The Sinbad HMA is comprised of approximately 99,241 acres of public and state lands. The current herd is estimated at 220 animals as of 2014. The BLM intends to remove approximately 130 wild burros to reduce the population to the "appropriate" management level of 50 to 70 animals. Of the burros captured, 30 will be fitted with radio collars and returned to the range for a study of the natural ecology and behavior of wild burros. American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign) has adamantly opposed this research, as no valid data about "natural" burro behaviors or reproductive rates can be obtained after 60 percent of the population has been removed, many via traumatic helicopter stampedes.
On April 11, the BLM began the helicopter portion to capture and remove those Sinbad burros that are widely distributed across the HMA. Jim Schnepel of Wild Horses of America is on the ground—read his reports below.
- Roundup Report Day 1: April 11, 2016
- Roundup Report Day 2: April 12, 2016
- Roundup Report Day 3: April 13, 2016