What is a Wild Burro?
A wild burro is an unbranded, unclaimed, free-roaming burro found on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or U.S. Forest Service (USFS), administered rangelands. The greatest number of wild burros live within the arid deserts of the Southwest. Wild burros are descendants of pack animals that wandered off, or were released by prospectors and miners.

Why Does BLM Offer Wild Horses and Burros for Adoption?
The Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971, gave the Department of the Interior, BLM, and the Department of Agriculture, USFS, the authority to manage, protect, and control wild burros on the nation's public rangelands in a way that ensures healthy herds and healthy rangelands.

Federal protection and a lack of natural predators resulted in thriving wild burros that grow in number each year. BLM monitors rangelands and wild burro populations to determine the number of animals, including livestock an wildlife, the land can support. Each year BLM gathers excess wild burros from areas where vegetation and water could be negatively impacted by over use.

These excess animals are offered for adoption to qualified people through BLM's Adopt-a-Horse or-Burro Program. From 1973 through 1999, BLM has used this popular program to place more than 25,000 wild burros into private care.

Why Adopt a Wild Burro?
Providing a home for a wild burro can be both challenging and rewarding. Adopting a wild burro is a unique opportunity to care for and train a living symbol of American history.

With kindness and patience a wild burro can be trained for many uses. Due to their gentle nature, wild burros can be used as companion animals for high spirited domestic horses. In addition, wild burros are social, yet very protective animals. Because of this trait, they are very effective in predator control and are often used as guard animals to protect sheep and goats. Wild burros are known for their sure-footedness, strength, and endurance and are used as sturdy pack animals for backpackers and hunters. People use wild burros as riding animals. People use them to pull carts or small wagons too. The greatest advantage to adopting a wild burro, is that they make excellent family pets.

What are Wild Burros Like?
Every wild burro is different. Like people, they too have their own personality. The common thought that burros are stubborn is a myth. Actually, they are just very cautious. When placed into an unfamiliar situation, a burro will stand its ground and ponder its predicament. Pulling or pushing on the animal does little to help them make up their minds.

Burros come in many different colors including red, red roan, pink, blue, black, brown, and paint. By far, the most common color is grey with a white muzzle and white underbelly. Wild burros average 11 hands high (44") and weigh about 500 pounds at maturity. Burros recently removed from public rangelands are not used to people. As an adopter, your challenge will be to develop a trusting relationship with your wild burro.

What Are BLM's Requirements to Adopt a Wild Horse or Burro?
To adopt a wild horse or burro, you are required to have adequate facilities and the financial means to care for the animal. You must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Have no convictions for inhumane treatment of animals
• Make a home for the adopted animal in the United States until you receive title from BLM

Note:  Parents or guardians may adopt a wild burro and allow younger family members to care for the animal.

What Facilities Does BLM Require an Adopter to Have to Care for a Wild Horse or Burro?
If exercised daily, BLM requires a minimum space of 144 square feet (12' x 12') for each animal. If not exercised daily, BLM requires a minimum of 400 square feet (20' x 20') for each animal.

Fences must be at least 4 - feet high for ungentled burros. Fences should be of pole, pipe, or plank construction and must not have dangerous protrusions. Barbed wire is not allowed in stalls or corrals.

BLM considers an animal gentled when it can be approached, handled, haltered, and led without attempting escape. You should not release a burro into a large open area, such as a pasture. These are wild animals and will retreat to the most distant part of the pasture minimizing the opportunity to gain the trust of the animal and gentle it. Remaining ungentled, it will be very difficult to provide adequate veterinary care for that animal.

You must provide shelter from inclement weather and temperature extremes for your adopted wild burro. Shelters must be well-drained and adequately ventilated. Shelter requirements will vary in different regions of the country.

How Do I Adopt a Wild Horse or Burro?
Once you meet the BLM requirements to adopt a wild burro, you should complete the Application for Adoption of Wild Horses or Burros and mail it to the BLM office serving your area. BLM will contact you during the application review process to verify that your facilities meet the minimum requirements for the number of animals you want to adopt. When you adopt, BLM requires you to sign a Private Maintenance and Care Agreement. This agreement includes the following statement:

"Under penalty of prosecution for violating 18 U.S.C. 1001, which makes it a federal crime to make false statements to any agency of the United States, I hereby state that I have no intent to sell this wild horse or burro for slaughter or bucking stock, or for processing into commercial products, within the meaning of the Wild and Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, 16 U.S.C. 1331 et seq., and regulations 43 CFR 4700.0-5(c)."

How Many Wild Burros Can I Adopt?
You may adopt up to four wild horses, or burros within a 12-month period. If approved by the BLM, you may adopt more than four in a 12-month period, however, you can only receive title to four adopted animals within a 12-month period.

How Much Does it Cost to Adopt a Wild Burro?
Normally, the minimum adoption fee for each wild burro is $125. Jennies adopted with their unweaned foal are $250. Adoptions may be held using a competitive bidding process, lottery draw, or on a first-come, first-served basis.

Adoption fees are non-refundable. However, if a veterinarian determines that a pre-existing serious medical condition existed at the time you adopted your animal, BLM will provide you with another animal.

How Much Does it Cost to Care for a Wild Burro?
Adopters are responsible for all costs associated with the care of their animal. The cost of caring for a wild horse, or burro is comparable to caring for a domestic horse or burro. Depending on local costs and conditions, the cost of caring for a horse or burro can exceed $1,000 per year. If you are adopting a mare, there is a very good chance that she is pregnant, so you may have the additional expense of caring for a foal. Though the adoption fee may seem minimal, you should also consider the following costs:

• Stall/Corral Rental
• Veterinarian Fees
• Vaccinations
• Insecticides
• Feed & Tack
• Shoeing
• Worming
• Medicine
• Salt/Supplements
• Grooming Supplies

Note:  If your adopted wild burro escapes from your property, you are responsible for any and all costs associated with recovery of the animal.

Have the Wild Burros Received any Medical Treatment?
All of the wild burros BLM offers for adoption have been vaccinated, wormed, freezemarked, and given necessary medical care by a veterinarian. BLM provides a record of the animal's medical history to each adopter.

Does the Animal Belong to Me or the Federal Government?
A wild burro retains protected status as a wild burro until BLM issues a certificate of title to you. Certificates are normally issued after the animal has been in your care for at least one year. BLM will send you a Title Eligibility Letter as you approach eligibility status. You must then obtain a statement from a qualified person (such as a veterinarian, county extension agent, or humane society representative) verifying that you have provided humane care and treatment for your adopted animal. Once you return the Title Eligibility Letter and the humane treatment statement, BLM will mail the certificate of title to you.

Note:  There are no additional fees involved in the titling process.

What Should I Bring to the Adoption?
You should bring cash, a money order, or certified check to pay the adoption fees. At some adoptions BLM may accept VISA or Mastercard as payment.

You must bring a halter and lead rope for each animal you adopt. BLM recommends a double stitched nylon webbing halter. The lead rope should be about 8 to 20-feet-long, made of cotton or nylon, and of sufficient strength to hold a 600 pound animal. The halter buckle should be of similar strength.

You must provide transportation for your adopted animal from the adoption site to their new home. Another person may transport the animal, but all trailers must meet these minimum standards:

• Covered top, sturdy walls/floors, and a smooth interior
• Must be free from any sharp protrusions
• Ample head room
• Removable partitions or compartments to separate animals by size and sex, if necessary
• Floor covered with a non-skid material
• Adequate ventilation

Due to potential injury to animals and people, burros will not be loaded into drop ramp trailers. BLM performs safety inspections on all trailers prior to loading any animals.

Where Can I Adopt a Wild Horse or Burro?
About 1,000 to 1,200 wild burros are gathered and made available for adoption each year. Contact your nearest BLM Office for more information. Adoption sites and dates are also posted on BLM's national wild horse and burro webpage.

There are many wild horse and burro adoption events throughout the United States, but because there are fewer burros than horses, not every adoption event will have burros available. Contact BLM to find out which events will offer wild burros for adoption.

Where Can I Get More Information About Adopting a Wild Burro?
You may call any BLM Office, or visit BLM's national wild horse and burro webpage. Also, try contacting your local humane society or veterinarian to learn more about caring for a wild burro.

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