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Tom Taylor, Wild Horse & Burro Adoption Volunteer and Adopter: “This is my burro Hualapai.
I adopted her in 1989. I traveled up to Kingman, Arizona and picked her out of the holding
facilities up there.
Primarily I adopted for a hiking partner. They make really great pack animals. They
are adapted to the desert. That is their habitat, the deserts of North Africa. Do well I the
winter time and they can haul a lot of weight, take the weight of your back.
Whenever I am out on the hiking trail a lot of people, most everybody I encounter are
really surprised to see someone hiking with an animal. It’s not too uncommon to see
someone riding a horse or a mule, but to see someone walking with an animal, especially
a burro, kind of surprises most of the hikers that I encounter.
Yeah, Hualapai and I have hiked a lot of trails here in Arizona. We go up into the Superstitions
usually once every year to pick apples at Rivas Ranch. I took her down the Grand Canyon
one time, which is by permit, all the way to the Phantom Ranch and out in three days.
Been in the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson. Lots of wonderings through the desert
collecting firewood and different stuff like that.
They really make good utilitarian animals and good companions also. Low and behold there
is not too many people, hardly anybody takes their own pack animal down the Grand Canyon.
Mostly it is backpackers and hikers and then people riding the mules. She was pretty startling
to some of the mules as we would be coming down the trail.
I think the biggest surprise from the public when they find out about the Wild Horse and
Burro Adoptions is that we do have wild horses and burros out on the public ranges lands.
I think a lot of people cannot believe that they can live under such conditions in the
desert trying to find food and water to sustain themselves.
I can start as a volunteer for the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro program obviously because
of my burro Hualapai. And I go to adoption events and I also got to a lot of nature festivals.
I’ve taken her to public schools. Kids really love her. The love to feed her mesquite beans
which is one of their primary foods out in the desert. And so, half a dozen times a year
I am at some kind of event trying to promote the program for more people to adopt these
wild horses and burros. The only advice I can give is know what you
are getting into. It takes some time and effort to tame and train these animals and you have
another person to support if you will.
I would encourage anybody that would have use for a good riding horse or a good pack
animal to consider a BLM wild horse or burro. They are a great utility animals and very
hardy and adapted to the desert southwest.”