RIDGECREST, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management Ridgecrest Field Office will begin a gather of 300 wild burros in the Centennial Herd Area located in San Bernardino and Inyo counties, roughly 10 miles north and east of Ridgecrest, on Friday, May 28. The gather is necessary to address resource impacts and reduce the risk of burro-vehicle collisions.

The burros will be gathered from the approximately one million-acre herd area, using a helicopter and wranglers to move the burros at a slow pace to the capture sites, ensuring groups stay together and reducing animal stress. All gather operations will be conducted with care and compassion for the animals’ well-being and adhere to humane handling standards as outlined in the BLM’s Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program.

“Our priority is to conduct a safe, efficient, and successful wild burro gather operation while ensuring humane care and treatment of all animals gathered,” said Ridgecrest Field Manager Carl Symons. “Without this gather, the health of these wild burros will decline along with the range and water resources that sustain them and other animals.”

The current burro overpopulation is located on fragile desert and creosote scrub ecosystems, where forage and water are scarce, endangering the overall land health with the possibility of permanent, irrecoverable damage. The BLM aims to improve habitat conditions for species such as the Inyo California towhee (federally threatened species), badgers, big horn sheep and several other species which all share the same limited resources.

Members of the public are welcome to view the gather operations as long as doing so does not jeopardize the safety of the animals, staff and observers, or disrupt gather operations.

For information about attending the gather, daily gather reports, emergency closures, and additional information, please visit https://www.blm.gov/programs-wild-horse-and-burro-herd-management-gathers-and-removals-california-2021-centennial-herd. For information on how to adopt or purchase a wild horse or burro from the Ridgecrest Wild Horse and Burro Corrals call 760-382-5765 or visit www.blm.gov/whb.

The BLM is conducting the gather under the Capture Plan for Wild Burro Gather and Removals for the Centennial, Slate Range and Panamint Herd Areas. To view the decision record and environmental assessment, visit https://go.usa.gov/xs7K7.