The Wild Burro Project

Marissa Robertson from Western University

Donkeys were brought to North America in the 1500s and were a valuable asset to American settlers.  They are very smart, strong, and incredibly hardy animals. Since their introduction to North America, donkeys that were released or escaped from captivity adapted very well to the desert terrain of Southern California.  These feral donkeys are called burros.  On the first weekend of November 2019, about 130 burros were rounded up from the desert landscape surrounding Fort Irwin in Southern California.  From the corrals, the shuffling of hooves created dust clouds and the occasional bray disturbed the otherwise quiet morning. 

Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue (PVDR), a privately funded non-profit organization that has been around for 19 years, captured these burros as part of their Wild Burro Project.  The Wild Burro Project is an ongoing multi-year operation aimed at managing burro populations within National Parks. Because donkeys have adapted so well to the environment, they are very successful at reproducing and their growing herd sizes cannot be sustained on the sensitive ecosystems within the National Parks.  Because burros are not a native species, they out-competing endemic species and damage the delicate desert ecosystem. Furthermore, when resources become scarce burros will begin to migrate into nearby residential areas where they can damage communities and put people and themselves in danger. 

PVDR works in cooperation with a variety of government agencies, and Western University veterinary students have been assisting at the Fort Irwin round-up in February of 2019. On this particular weekend, the burros had been removed from the Mojave National Preserve and were being prepared for transport to PVDR’s donkey sanctuaries in Arizona and Texas.  From there, some of the donkeys will be made available for adoption while others will live out their lives protected and cared for on the sanctuary. Western University’s veterinarian Dr. Halland invited a group of veterinary students to join her and her colleague, Dr. Crawford, to help collect blood samples, vaccinate, and deworm the captured burros. The blood samples were submitted for a Coggins test to detect any antibodies to the disease Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA). EIA is a contagious virus that can affect both donkeys and horses.  All captured burros must be given health clearance before they can cross state borders. 

The weekend was a great success for everyone involved.  For many of the students, this event was their first time working with donkeys and for others, it was a chance to improve their skills.  Each of the students had multiple opportunities to practice each of the skills mentioned above. The weekend was a prime example of Western’s hands-on approach to teaching, and the exceptional teamwork between the rescue organization, the veterinarians, and the students made for a fun and productive weekend.

On behalf of the Western University veterinary students that were invited to participate in the event, I would like to thank PVDR, Dr. Crawford, and Dr. Halland for allowing us to learn, practice our skills, and help improve the welfare of the local environment and the burros of Southern California. 

For more information on Peaceful Valley Dokey Rescue please visit https://donkeyrescue.org/

Game of Thrones

Any Game of Thrones fans out there? If so, you are going to love this!

Rochelle Camden from Purdue University explains that crocheted the front of the Game of Thrones blanket. Each rectangle is representative of the sigils and motto for each house in the TV series. She then added a fleece backing to the blanket so it would be softer. The project took her a little over 2 months to complete. Incredible work, Rochelle!

The Truth Hurts

Krystal Bowers from Ohio State University came up with a pretty hilarious caption and won the Caption This section of the most recent issue! Nice job, Krystal!

"Wait! Peanut Butter has HOW MANY CALORIES?!"

Original photo submitted by Calli Morris from Iowa State University!

We Aren't the Only Ones Quarantined...

You know who else is bored and stuck inside during quarantine? Your pets! Anita Kalonaros and Carlie Kalebich, fourth years at the University of Illinois, created some awesome DIY enrichment for their pups, Kona and Gryffin!

In the first one, they created a food puzzle out of muffin tins and various balls. They then threw a mixture of treats! The second one is a DIY treat-dispensing toy made out of cardboard. Have you guys come up with any fun activities or enrichment for your pets?

Meditations on Amateur Blood Collection

Madison Gohlke, Auburn University

A growling, griping, flopping mess

The syringe flies through the air

I wipe my brow and softly cuss

Suspiciously, you glare

I gently coax and offer treats

You eye me warily

I slide my arm under your neck

You spaz and try to flee

My longsuffering friend who’s here to help

Politely judges me

I say we do this all the time

(as if we live Fear-Free)

Don’t know if it’s the alcohol wipe

Or the poke that incites your rage

Or even just to be restrained

But you refuse to be assuaged

We take a break, then try again

Your veins roll like a log

You yelp when she pokes the needle in

I’m sorry, you dumb dog

If you’d hold still, then we’d be done

And I wish it didn’t hurt

But my dear, you don’t speak English yet

So control I must exert

I consider: is it worth all this? 

It’s just some free bloodwork

But she pets your head, you wag your tail

And I love you, you big jerk

So we’ll find those veins, we’ll draw this blood

And make sure you’re okay

I hope you don’t remember this

Or how upset you were today

And I promise, in the future, dear,

If you’ll cooperate this time

We won’t do this for another year

And maybe I’ll switch to bovine….