Re: Burros are NOT sweet
Posted by Cat-Scan (Poop-Scan) on April 06, 2002 at 21:51:04:
In Reply to: Burros are NOT sweet posted by Lara on April 05, 2002 at 21:17:55:
When I first saw the posting about the piles of poop, I just knew this kind of frenzy was going to occur. I hope the "story" that you did was not too widely spread and did not get read by a lot of people. First you are correct in being not such a fan of the NPS. Second, the NPS data that you quoted is completely inaccurate. Burros would not be able to survive in the remote areas of DV if they required 5 gallons of water a day. Third, I can tell you that the one we had on the ranch would go days without taking even one drink. We would stake ours out on dry feed for weed control purposes, in 100 degree summer heat, and with a 2 gallon water bucket that would last over a week. They are much like camels in that regard. Gee Lara, why and how do you think the NPS came up with this false data?
On top of that, your comments regarding how mean they are to mountain lions is probably correct. However, how many instances have you heard of a burro killing a person. However, in the state of California, we have had documented deaths by mountain lions, and in one instance the victim was a lady jogger.
So if I had to vote, I would vote for the burros vs. the mountain lions. And how many big horns in DV do you think the burros have directly killed vs how many were killed by mountain lions?
Being on site during the round ups in the Panamints, I can tell everyone now that they are not going to be eliminated. And they have cohabitated with the Big Horns for decades.
On your note that they have to be thinned occasionally, I would agree. But let us not be worked up by the NPS or the so called green groups that use non-scientific methods or false data to support their feel good policies.