USDA’s Bureau of Land Management recently held a rather unique auction, offering up wild horses and burros, to make sure Western states do not get overcrowded.
One group says burros can be especially useful when it comes to security.
“So a lot of people use them as guard animals. Burros make great guard animals. They’ll run off coyotes or other predators that might threaten your herd. A lot of people just keep them as pets. I mean, you look at, take one look at one of those burros and you’ll see why they’re very cute animal,s and a lot of people have them around as pets or livestock guardians. Some people take them on the trails as well, which can be used as pack animals. Basically, anything you wanna a donkey to do, that’s what this burro is for,” said Jason Lutterman of the National Wild Horse and Burro Program.
The Bureau of Land Management puts the number of wild burros at just shy of 20,000. Combined with the wild horse population, that number is around 73,000 animals.
Brent Graves, auctioneer and mentor, shares his journey supporting youth in agriculture, livestock competitions, and how he is turning junior livestock auctions into a classroom for youth in agriculture.
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Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller warns horse owners after EHV-1 cases linked to the Waco WPRA Finals. Horses linked to recent Waco events should be isolated and closely monitored, as early action is critical to stopping the spread of EHV-1.
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An outbreak of Equine Herpesvirus Type 1 (EHV-1) first appeared after livestock events in Texas and Arizona, and some horses have already died.
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