Photo By Ana Henderson | Among the multiple species found within U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground’s over 1,300...... read more read more
Subscribe
For most of its 82-year history, U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) has seen itself as a natural laboratory, testing equipment Soldiers use in the most realistic natural environment possible.
As such, YPG has a deeply vested interest in being good stewards of the environment, and the proving ground’s record in this area shines.
Among the multiple species found within YPG’s over 1,300 square miles of range space are wild burros, well known to all YPG personnel who spend their days on the range testing equipment for warfighters.
“There are a lot more burros than there are wild horses,” said Daniel Steward, YPG Wildlife Biologist. “We track where they’re at for our safety.”
Though the burros are generally popular with the YPG workforce, the creatures occasionally cause mischief. For example, some years ago one enterprising burro managed to turn on a water spigot—he drank his fill, then departed with the tap still running.
“Food, water, and shelter are what draw wildlife into our area. When it gets really dry, horses and burros are looking for water. Landscaping and sprinkler systems provide water—we really try to watch out for pooling water that would attract burros.”
Mitigating the burro threat to motorists on Highway 95 is no easy task, but wildlife officials have done the best they can.
“We’ve eliminated water sources near the roads to try to keep horses and burros as far away from Highway 95 as possible. It’s not healthy for the horses and burros to be exposed to high levels of traffic, for the animals or for the people.”
Aside from favorable weather and plenty to eat and drink, the creatures tend to live long lives due to their sheer size and wary pack mentality that deters desert predators.
“Burros are big, strong, and have a herd to protect each other. A lot of times they are too dangerous for a predator to take down—it happens, but it is rare. Mountain lions are typically associated with sheep, not burros.”
Steward cautions that burros are still wild animals that should be treated as such. In particular, feeding a wild burro should be strictly avoided.
“When people start feeding the burros, they become a real nuisance. These are wild animals—one begging for food can be ornery. You want to keep a respectful distance from any wild animal.”
| Date Taken: | 08.20.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.20.2025 16:39 |
| Story ID: | 545633 |
| Location: | YUMA PROVING GROUND, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 92 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Wild burros require caution from Yuma Proving Ground motorists, by Mark Schauer, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
