Residents of the cherished Reche Canyon donkey community are divided about the situation’s management and the potential destinations of the animals.
“We think what they do for us, for the community, is far greater than the issues they might cause,” said Chase Miller, who lives along Reche Canyon Road with his wife, Mandy.
Their residence is one of several near the area where hundreds of wild burros roam and, as the Millers believe, consume whatever they can to help ward off wildfires.
“This area is a Class 10 fire zone. The Millers stated, “We’re concerned about our homes, our children, and our families.” “Our house has been saved by what the burros have cleared off.”
This is just one of the reasons they set up a Change.org petition to try to keep the donkeys in their current location after San Bernardino County officials signed a contract with Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue, a non-profit, to control the number.
The Executive Director of the Texas-based donkey rescue, Mark Meyers, stated, “Some residents really like the donkeys, but some residents are frustrated.” “There’s a lot of misconception out there.”
Since starting operations in December, Peaceful Valley claims to have removed 78 burros to date. They claim that hundreds more must be removed.
“It could be anywhere from 600 to 1,000 donkeys in that area,” Meyers stated.
He said that 250 was a reasonable amount when asked how many the area could hold.
In order to keep the burros closer to home, residents say they wish county officials had employed a local rescue. However, county officials claim that a local company rejected many offers. Additionally, they claim that Peaceful Valley is working for free.
“Our preference would be to contract with a local nonprofit rescue and sanctuary organization that has the capacity to rescue and shelter an adequate number of the undomesticated burros that roam freely in the Reche and San Timoteo canyon areas,” stated a portion of San Bernardino County’s statement.
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