The Bureau of Land Management is auctioning off burros and wild horses

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.

Related Stories
Return to the good old days of horse-powered farming. A young FarmHer takes us back to her roots.
When tragedy struck at Westfork Horse Ranch, owner/FarmHER Amy Heitland used her story to spread her passion for horses to the future generation of girls.
Meet RanchHER Renee Strickland of Strickland Ranch and Exporting. Headquartered in Myakka City, Florida, Strickland and her husband export cattle around the world.

Rural Lifestyle & Entertainment Shows
Experts from the University of Nebraska Medical Center discuss health and how it impacts farmers, ranchers, and rural Americans on this special LIVE call-in show.
As a how-to show dedicated exclusively to trucks, 4x4s and SUVs, Truck U finds monster-truck expert Matt Steele and master mechanic Bruno Massel tackling hands-on projects from DIY maintenance on pickups and SUVs, to serious off-road performance upgrades on Jeeps and ATVs.
“Today’s Wild West” is a documentary-style, half-hour TV seres on all-things-Western: horseback adventures, cattle drives, dude ranches, Western art, artisans, music, movies, historic sites, Native American culture and more.
Join host Allen Treadwell and the Hayden Outdoors crew plus landowners across the country as we bring you exciting adventures on the land with the most amazing properties for sale and learn what it means to broker these magnificent properties.
Journey into the lives of two hard-working farm families to see the risks, rewards, and funny shenanigans that take place every day. From cat-fishing and watermelon smashing to pig chasing and go-kart racing, there is never a dull moment on these family farms. We’ll also get a modern look at the newest cutting-edge farming techniques that are revolutionizing the industry and providing a greener and more sustainable way to grow.