PHOENIX – On a warm Wednesday afternoon, one burro with tan fur and large ears wandered the streets and desert surrounding Lake Pleasant with its herd. Many of the wild donkeys roam near the lake because it lowers the temperature of the surrounding areas. After eating some plants, a thorn gets stuck in the fur on the burro’s upper lip. The burro jumped over a metal barrier and quickly trotted towards a white Kia Sedona that had slowed to observe the animals.
The burro let the driver pet the top of its head, hoping its friendliness would earn food from the woman. When she tried to remove the thorn, the burro wouldn’t let her reach towards its mouth and hurried away to snack on more native plants.
A recent study from the Arizona Game and Fish Department found that the invasive species of burros threatens the native Sonoran Desert ecosystem life in the area. Explorers first brought the burros from Northern Africa and over time, they have escaped or been released into the desert…