Wild Horses and Donkeys

If it's not about plants, but it is about the natural environment of Death Valley, then this is the place to post your info or question.

Re: Wild Horses and Donkeys

Postby shadylady » Wed May 23, 2018 6:09 am

SOUL OF THE WEST? Not so much. While I don't have anything against donkeys it would be ludicrous to consider them a natural part of the desert environment. They've done a lot of damage and their numbers should be kept very low in order to reduce their impact on native species.
User avatar
shadylady
Prehistoric Fossil
 
Posts: 1289
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2012 7:20 am
Location: The Ranch

Re: Wild Horses and Donkeys

Postby wildrose » Thu May 24, 2018 8:19 am

Anyone who considers an invasive species to be the soul of the west does not understand the soul of the west. I'm not saying that there is anything easily definable as the soul of the west, but I am saying that donkeys clearly do not constitute the essence of the natural history of the Mojave Desert. They have encroached upon this territory, not by choice, but they have encroached nonetheless and our toleration of their presence should be very limited to put it diplomatically. I'm not advocating their massive slaughter, but I do think their numbers should be kept in check.
User avatar
wildrose
Prehistoric Fossil
 
Posts: 1397
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2012 10:41 pm
Location: middle of nowhere

Re: Wild Horses and Donkeys

Postby sandman » Fri May 25, 2018 8:24 am

DONKEYS: They're fun to see, but they are a traffic hazard. I'd be in favor of allowing hunting wild donkeys. They're really tasty when properly BBQed! LOL
User avatar
sandman
Backcountry Hiker
 
Posts: 746
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2012 1:31 pm
Location: NEVER NEVER LAND

Re: Wild Horses and Donkeys

Postby panamint_patty » Mon Sep 03, 2018 8:40 am

Ridgecrest Wild Horse Adoption Event
This was a great opportunity for someone looking for a horse.
User avatar
panamint_patty
Prehistoric Fossil
 
Posts: 1203
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2012 1:23 pm
Location: T-Town

Re: Wild Horses and Donkeys

Postby twister » Thu Oct 04, 2018 7:41 am

panamint_patty: Most of the wild horses I've seen look a little bit sickly. They're usually slightly deformed with at least one or two body parts not properly proportioned. Of course, the price is right and so saving so much money makes it easy to put up with some imperfections!
User avatar
twister
Backcountry Hiker
 
Posts: 771
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2014 1:21 pm
Location: John 3:8

Re: Wild Horses and Donkeys

Postby surfsteve » Thu Oct 04, 2018 3:05 pm

Haven't been there in a while but that place always looked more like a horse concentration camp than a health resort the times I visited it.

Has it changed?


http://www.animalsangels.org/investigat ... -ca-9-5-14
Make Trona great again!
surfsteve
Prehistoric Fossil
 
Posts: 2339
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2012 9:57 am
Location: everywhere

Re: Wild Horses and Donkeys

Postby CrustyOldFart » Mon Nov 12, 2018 8:37 am

Drought Has Endangered Horses, But One Organization Is Determined To Help
Icons of the American West, my ass! More like invasive species encroaching on the wilderness and crowding out native species!
User avatar
CrustyOldFart
Ancient Bristlecone
 
Posts: 846
Joined: Sun Dec 30, 2012 9:03 am

Re: Wild Horses and Donkeys

Postby shadylady » Tue Nov 13, 2018 7:13 am

CrustyOldFart: Yes, people seem to lose sight of the fact that donkeys and horses are not native species and that they are only wild in the sense that they are not owned by anyone, but technically they don't belong in the wilderness. They displace deer, antelope, and other species that would otherwise benefit from the vegetation which they devour.
User avatar
shadylady
Prehistoric Fossil
 
Posts: 1289
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2012 7:20 am
Location: The Ranch

Re: Wild Horses and Donkeys

Postby sierra_jim » Fri Jan 25, 2019 9:28 am

Passing through the area I noticed somewhere between 25 and 30 donkeys gathered on the Searles Valley side of Slate Range Xing earlier this week. My wife and I pulled over to the side of the road to count them and we both agree that there were at least 26 donkeys, but it was hard to count a group that was off in the distance. It's surprising that the BLM has allowed so many donkeys to accumulate.
sierra_jim
Fleabitten Varmint
 
Posts: 51
Joined: Sun Nov 02, 2014 7:21 pm

Re: Wild Horses and Donkeys

Postby twister » Fri Apr 19, 2019 6:31 am

According to an article I read recently, the BLM is actually giving people $1000 to adopt a wild horse or donkey. Of course, you have to show that you have the ability to take care of the animal(s), but other than that the BLM is willing to give people $1000 for taking an animal off their hands since it actually saves them money for people to adopt them. BTW, the adoption application process costs $25.
User avatar
twister
Backcountry Hiker
 
Posts: 771
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2014 1:21 pm
Location: John 3:8

PreviousNext

Return to General Environment and Nature

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 58 guests