More than a century ago, gold miners were used as packed animals in California. Today, in the San Bernardino County area, wild donkey teems have become a safety hazard on local roads.
To address the overpopulation problem, county officials have approved new deals with local nonprofits to help disinfect many pint-sized horses and relocate them to shelters.
“These partnerships reflect our commitment to managing the local, compassionate and community solutions for the wild Burrow population in San Bernardino County,” County CEO Luther Snnoke said at a meeting Tuesday.
Donkeyland founder Amber Levonne said in a statement that the rescue group is “happy to continue working with San Bernardino County under the new contract to support our local wild warehouses.”
According to the county, the two contracts, which will come into effect on April 1, will help relocate orphans, sick or injured wild donkeys. Another contract will provide funding to donkey castate 100 donkeys within one year.
The county has also worked with nonprofits to gather and transport Burros to Donkeyland Sanctuary. The organization has a wildlife reserve with more than 2,000 acres of space for wildlife and donkeys.
More than a century ago, donkeys or wild burrs were domesticated donkeys left by miners. Burros roamed the pine forests and sage fields in the Greater Bear Valley region, but their numbers could flood rare and endangered plants.
In addition, some locals complained about private property destruction, which could be a traffic hazard, endangering residents and Burrows.
Donkeys were injured and killed in traffic collisions, according to county officials.
The county has previously worked with donkeys, but county officials say the organization has the ability to bring it to its shelter by the end of 2024.
However, Lulan officials refuted what they told the county.
“The county directly knows that we have the ability to accommodate another 550 permanent residents,” the donkey committee wrote on Facebook. “It is not clear why they have publicly expressed our capabilities, but they brought us several cattle herds on December 12, 2024.”
The county’s Public Health Department decided to work with Peace Valley Donkey Rescue to capture and rescue nearly 256 Burros in the Reche Canyon area of unincorporated persons.
The county terminated its contract with Peace Valley on January 24 after receiving negative feedback from donkey supporters.
According to the county’s Wild Burro program webpage, “PVDR and the county’s Department of Public Health jointly agreed to end the contract for the wild Burro rescue and relocation services, signing a termination letter effective January 24, 2025.”
