Wild burros are destroying my property!

Hi!  Does anyone else out there have horrendous wild burro problems?  They have destroyed almost every Palo Verde tree on my 330 acres.  I have a property that is nearly impossible to fence (quotes start at $250,000).  They are a federally protected species.  I liken them to 800 pound locust.  They are destroying the beautiful desert ecosystem where I live.

Any suggestions?  I am considering Anatolian sheparding dogs to keep them at bay.  They are hard to come by.  Has anyone had luck using German Shepards to guard property from ungulates?

I wonder if you might have luck with baited electric fence.  I have used this successfully on multiple sites to keep problem animals of all sizes in and out of areas.  You just need a single wire and either plastic/fiberglass stakes or insulators tacked to posts, trees, etc.  Hang the wire just at nose height of the animal in question and then attach little tags to it every few feet....the larger the animal and the better nose it has the further apart they can be....8 to 10 feet works for deer and goats.  Then spread a swatch of something yummy on the tags, facing outward.  Peanut butter is sort of the default, most animals love it.  The animals smell it and give the tag a lick and get a REALLY good shock!!  They won't be back for months, and will tell all their friends to stay away.  I've used this to keep deer out and goats in, with a single wire for both.  One challenge for you will be grounding the fence in the dry....you might need to set this up during a wet spell so the shock will be strong, and then hopefully they will remember it the rest of the time!

The baited zap fence idea makes me wonder...

So, with white tail deer, when they experience something unpleasant (like a zap or being chased by a dog) the adventure is associated with the place, not the bait or the dog. A handful of baited zap sticks can keep deer avoiding a decent sized space if you move the sticks around often enough. As long as they're not starving, they'll usually avoid the scary places.

Do burros approach things the same way?

The burros are starving and burros will test a fence for miles to find the weak spot.  And I have four small canyons crossing my property that make any kind of fencing near impossible.   Maybe I could try an electric fence around my botanical garden area.  I can't even use a drone to chase them off because I have breeding bald eagles so no drones.  The BLM is supposed to be rounding up a couple of thousand burro in the area but they have not made it to my place yet...

I am sorry for your problem. It appears that yours is a known problem with BLM.

Any updates?

https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro/herd-management/gathers-and-removals/arizona/2023-alamo-nuisance-wild

Livestock guard dogs, as you mentioned, may be your best bet.  They are actually pretty easy to find.  No need to look strictly for Anatolians.  They are great dogs, but so are Pyrenees, Central Asian Shepherd, Kangal, and any number of other breeds.  A quick search on Hoobly will find lots of them.  Look at people breeding that actually use their dogs for their intended purpose.  Don't shy away from mixed breeds that are two or three different LGD breeds.  Many people mix them.  I did a quick Hoobly search to give you ideas:  LGD on Hoobly  I searched Livestock Guard Dogs.  You will get a lot more hits if you search individual breeds.  Best of luck to you.

I do not have experience with wild burros, but I have experience with domesticated donkeys. With that said, I have seen Donkeys that really REALLY dislike canines. Donkeys can do a lot of damage to dogs/coyotes with their biting and stomping.

Just something to consider for you and your pups safety if you go that route.

Timothy Norton wrote:I do not have experience with wild burros, but I have experience with domesticated donkeys. With that said, I have seen Donkeys that really REALLY dislike canines. Donkeys can do a lot of damage to dogs/coyotes with their biting and stomping.

Just something to consider for you and your pups safety if you go that route.

That's a very good point.  My parents had a donkey that did it's absolute best to stomp my dog to death any time the dog got near him.  You will need good dogs for sure.

How about Sepp Holzer bone sauce? Might scare them off. Do burros have a good sense of smell?

I have a idea. Cost alot though