Today, donkeys are kept as pets or used for low-value activities like practicing roping cattle-if you mess up trying to rope a donkey and break its leg, it’s not considered a big deal, since they’re not as valuable-while many still roam free on nationally managed lands. A 1971 act granted both animals federally protected status and called on the Bureau of Land Management to control them. Johnston, known by the moniker “Wild Horse Annie,” brought public attention to the fact that donkeys and wild horses were being hunted indiscriminately on public lands. They were used by miners and other settlers in the West, but as the mining industry dried up, many were abandoned. and, indeed, the development of human civilization.ĭonkeys have been used as pack animals dating back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia civilizations. With their sanctuary, the Hiestands advocate for a much-maligned, often misunderstood animal, one that’s inextricably bound up in the history of the U.S. There’s also Oatman, Arizona, a Route 66 ghost town famously overrun by burros. Southwest is likely familiar with the herds of wild donkeys that roam nationally-managed lands in Nevada, Arizona, and California. | Photo: Emily Cataneo Overrun by burrosĪnyone’s who’s taken a road trip through the U.S. Twenty-five years later, their 10-acre ranch, now called Forever Home Donkey Rescue, is a nonprofit housing dozens of donkeys recovering from sickness or maltreatment or simply enjoying a new, stable home.Ī donkey nuzzles Tish Hiestand’s hand. Suddenly, the Hiestands went from casual equine owners to the operators of a sanctuary for unwanted animals. In fact, there are so many donkeys in the West that it’s easier to just get a new one. If a donkey becomes sick, or needs her feet trimmed or teeth floated, the owners won’t pay to do it. “Donkeys have no value in this part of the country,” Tish says. “People were saying, ‘If you can catch ‘em, you can have ‘em.’” She and John adopted three donkeys from that original ad, and they soon realized something: The West is full of unwanted donkeys. With BlackJack alone again, the Hiestands decided to adopt another friend and took out an ad. They found BlackJack a companion, but the new donkey had health problems and the Hiestands had to euthanize him. Her husband bought her a donkey named BlackJack for her birthday that year. Tish had grown up around horses in Texas, and, by the late ‘90s, had moved about an hour east of Tucson to rural Arizona. In 1997, Tish and John Hiestand found this out the hard way. The head of the North Carolina Department of Transportation has asked travelers from the north and south to avoid driving through the state entirely.If you live in Arizona and post an ad in the newspaper offering to adopt unwanted donkeys, beware: You’re going to get a lot of responses. The storm is forecasted to stall over the state, a development that could add another 15 inches of rain. Officials have blamed 11 deaths on the storm thus far, which has dropped 30 inches of rain on North Carolina. EDT, some crew members were still out on search missions, while others lay on their cots. The gym on campus, where the task force is staying, has stayed relatively dry thus far, but the roof has started to leak. Some areas of Pembroke have up to two feet of water. They have been stationed at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, roughly 80 miles from the coast. The task force is working in tandem with FEMA and local officials. The Colorado crew of 45 first responders drove east Wednesday to assist with search-and-rescue missions during the storm. Rivers are expected to top record levels in the coming days. Heavy rains continue to batter Lumberton and Pembroke, N.C., where the task force is based. The Lakewood-based Colorado Task Force One, deployed in North Carolina for Tropical Storm Florence, has performed more than two dozen rescues so far on Saturday, the West Metro Fire rescue agency tweeted. Digital Replica Edition Home Page Close Menu
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