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Wild Burro Rescue: New Well Overflows with Hope

December 18, 2007, 3:40PM MT

By Denise A LeBeau

Best Friends steps in to help the rescue that helps the wild burros of the Wild West. All the inhabitants are braying with praises!

Best Friends steps in to help the rescue that helps the wild burros of the Wild West. All the inhabitants are braying with praises!

Wild Burro Rescue of Death Valley is home to over 190 burros that have a home for life with Diana Chontos if they are not adopted by a loving family. Saving the wild burros is not an easy endeavor, but with the help of Best Friends Animal Society, it just got a lot easier.

"When we pulled in to Diana's property, we were all in awe... there were burros everywhere we looked. Old burros and baby burros, all colors and sizes. It was really a sight to see. We spent several hours with Diana, and she introduced us to many of her favorite four-legged characters, both burros and dogs. It was clear to all of us that Diana was a woman with a mission - that her life, her whole life, was devoted to giving her animals the best care she possibly could. And it was hard to even fathom how much physical work she was devoting just to the task of hauling in water. We left that day knowing we had to help her and the burros. And thanks to the generosity of our members, we were able to do just that," related Kate Schnepel of Best Friends Animal Society.

There had not been running water at the Wild Burro Rescue since they began their operation in California! “This is such a gift and a dream come true from Best Friends! We have been without a well for seven years. We try to grow a garden each year, and it burns off, it’s been impossible,” said Diana with a smile. Everyday almost all their energy went towards making sure the burros had enough water – hauling it up in large tanks on a truck! Thanks to Best Friends and the support of our Members, Diana has been able to install the well they desperately needed. The intervention of angels didn’t end with the donation (which exceeded $20,000), the spot where the artesian well was dug is touted as a one-in-a-million perfect location for a well – according to experts that know about this type of aquatic triumph, mainly the well digger! The success of this well can’t be stressed enough, and it certainly illustrates what a hardship it must have been to have rescued burros in a desert without one!

Diana at the well - good things do come in small packages!

A Burro Rescue is Born
A one woman rescue mission in the middle of the desert with herds of burros, brings about the obvious question – why? Why burros? Why here? Why now?

Going to the source, Diana shared her experiences, her epiphany moment and what keeps her going against great odds! She relayed what many animal welfare innovators say: she saw a need and filled it.

But let’s start at the beginning; as a child Diana had a burro. Then her family had to sell the farm, and she grew up sans burro for many years. In 1985, in her 29th year she heard about the removal of burros from Death Valley. Within months she had adopted two burros that needed to be relocated and within a few more weeks it was revealed that the burros had been pregnant… then there were four! In 1987, California's Death Valley National Park Services began to shoot the wild burros in order to eradicate them. Considered “non-native” the burros are “competition” to the big horn sheep which were luckily enough to be from the area, and are protected in some areas so they can be hunted in other areas.

The violence against the burros was the last straw! Diana was on a mission. What could one person do? Well one thing they could do is walk over 500 miles in support of wild burro awareness – and that’s just what she did. From Mount St. Helens, Washington to Mt. Lassen, California – Diana and her herd of six burros made the trek. She had added two additional BLM rescue burros to her brood by then. They were a performance piece of what loyal, hard working, and useful companion animals burros make; they strolled the trail carrying all the supplies the trip required.

A freak blizzard not only altered their course, but rewrote burro rescue history! The snow was blinding, and the caravan left the trail and started walking on the road. Looking for a place to pitch their tents, someone recommended Wild Horse Sanctuary. This was a fortuitous turn of events! They wound up staying for five months and helped the sanctuary bring in wild horses being relocated from Devils Garden, Nevada. Around the end of their stay, the US Fish & Wildlife Department called Wild Horse Sanctuary to say they had fifteen burros that were going to be sent to slaughter, apparently slated to become dog food! Diana couldn’t let this happen, and with the help of Shawn Newman, an attorney that would become the Director of her Board, she was able to establish a 501 (c) 3 and take the fifteen wayward burros back with them to Washington state.

While she had now become a full fledged sanctuary, it still took a few years to figure out how to fight the government in their massacre of the wild burros! The solution came in the way of cooperation: live capture instead of shooting. The authorities signed a Memorandum of Understanding and in 1994 the wanton desecration of burros stopped, and the transport of burros started! Working with the Park Services Department and the Department of the Interior, Wild Burro Rescue was on its way to saving hundreds of burros that would have certainly met a brutal death. The Park Services saw the importance of Diana’s work and realized she was a much better ally than enemy! She even moved her rescue operation down to Olancha, California to be closer to the animals in need.

“There are Catalan burros, North African burros, and we believe there are rare French Poitou donkey lines also living in the Southwest. We had the Yukon Wild Ass, but now they are extinct. We are trying to help prove that the burros are an important part of a gene pool that is shrinking. If we can prove that there are discernible lineages, we may be able to stop them from being removed from the wilderness,” explained Diana.

“How will the gene pool survive? Five years ago there were 22 managed herds on the California/Arizona border, now there is one!,” she continued. “And burros are a lot like elephants. They are hierarchal and have a rich emotional life. I saw it with Magic and Poppy. Poppy was an older Jack, around forty years old, and that’s quite elderly for a burro. When Poppy’s health started failing, he would lay down during the day. Magic, seemingly concerned for his wellbeing would cover him with hay during the day. And in the evening they would both eat his temporary blind! Another time we had a very old Jack named Yaki. Yaki too was entering the final stages of his life, and one by one each of the Jacks living in the field would come and touch their nose to him. It was so moving, and we get to see these amazing moments all the time. And when a baby is born, look out! The place goes wild with excitement!”

“Their loving nature towards people has been their downfall. They’re so misunderstood. You can’t force a burro to do anything, you have to make it fun and a game. We don’t place any burros until they are able to walk on a halter and have their hooves managed. In the beginning we were adopting out burros before doing the necessary training, and they would be returned. Now we make sure only the burros we’ve worked with are on their way to homes. It takes about a year to get a wild burro ready for adoption, but it is so worth it! And we try to keep the families together when placing them. It’s not as good as their lives in the wild, but it’s the next best thing!”

With their new well, Diana will have plenty of extra time to make sure the burros are getting the adoption-ready training they need! And she’ll also be planting a lovely garden with barley oats, carrots, hay, apples and nut trees – a bounty for both the animals and the volunteers. She’ll also be planting shade trees, she thinks cottonwoods would do well. “This is a haven for all animals – the wildlife that was here before us are welcomed on the land. And we are vegetarians, we value all life!”

“Best Friends has provided us with a miracle! We will now be able to attract more volunteers because of our new well – volunteers like to shower and now they can; we’ll be providing an oasis for the wild animals of the area, and we’ll be able to provide all the loving care and attention that these special animals need! We’re so blessed to have had Best Friends help us help these animals, that have almost no one!,” Diana ends our conversation with such a reflective quote.

These animals that have almost no one, have Diana who has been able to take a despairing situation and turn it around: Best Friends has a real friend in Diana, and Diana has a real friend in Best Friends!

Diana winds down a long day with an old friend

Volunteer
Want your next vacation to be your most memorable? Volunteer and stay at Wild Burro Rescue
Please call Diana Chontos for more information at 760-384-8523

You Can Make A Difference
Show your support of the good work Best Friends Animal Society does for burros, donkeys, mules and horses! Ah, gotcha – burros and donkeys are the same animal! Click here to help!

Watch the beautiful Burro Slide Show from Clay Myers on YouTube!

by Denise LeBeau, Best Friends staff
photographs by Clay Myers

Comments

Posted December 18, 2007, 3:59PM by jaime_aalen_dunn

Yeah! At last the burros have water--and I have to say they are adorable!

Posted December 19, 2007, 11:24AM by kendra

Yay!!!!

Posted December 19, 2007, 11:40AM by judylew

I've never seen a burro with all that hair on their face before. Is that a special breed? They are all adorable. Looks like Pahrump might be on the other side of Death Valley from the burro rescue. Wonder how long of a drive that is?

Posted December 19, 2007, 4:16PM by mimi

I sent in a small donation when the Wild Burro Rescue situation came up on Best Friends several months ago. I often wondered what became of the efforts to get Diana a well. How terrific that the whole endeavor was such a success! It's great that BF uses its expertise and resources to partner with such a devoted animal caretaker. Thank you SO much for the update. Well done all around!!

Will BF also be involved in Diana's campaign to get burro shelters?

Posted December 19, 2007, 11:13AM by kellio

What a wonderful story! Wild burros will always have a special place in my heart since I read Brighty of the Grand Canyon as a little girl. Thanks BF for helping Diana with these fuzzy little ones.

Posted December 19, 2007, 11:50AM by Morrisonb

What a beautiful story! Thanks Best Friends for helping.

Posted December 19, 2007, 1:15PM by tina judd

Horray for Diana! Thanks to Best Friends! These are adorable creatures. Let's all help Diana with this work. Blessings to the donkeys and Diana for wonderful holidays and a great 2008!

Posted December 19, 2007, 2:10PM by JAk

Another victory for all, through the kindness of BF's
this is awesome!!!!
Everyone needs some help once and awhile and Diane certainly deserved it!!!!!!
HIghFive's to everyone!!!

Posted December 19, 2007, 3:53PM by Engled974

Awesome!

Posted December 19, 2007, 4:31PM by Vesna

A wonderful and an inspiring 'story'!! My favourite saying is: 'where there's a will, there's a way'. Way to go, Diana .... I hope others will follow in your footsteps!!

Posted December 23, 2007, 10:23AM by sandyp

BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted December 19, 2007, 11:25AM by cbarnes

Oh thank you Best Friends. Finally somebody who understands the plight of the Donkey. They should be the most celebrated animal on earth. They carried the Virgin Mary and still they are trash to some people. I love them so much and I hope that since Best Friends are now involved with them they will finally get the recoginition and financial help they so deserve from us. They ahve feeling too!!!!!

Posted December 20, 2007, 7:44AM by pattiea

Thank you Diana for helping all these beautiful burros. Kudos to BF for doing what they do best, care for animals and in turn, reach other to help others do the same. The slide show was great, Clay is an amazing animal photogragher. Please take a look!

Posted December 20, 2007, 1:34PM by kittychump

Aw I'm a wreck with tears of relief and love for the burros; the 'older' stories about this rescue place were so scary; they sure need BF!!!

I feel completely in love with donkeys when I was living briefly in Ireland - and I'd been in love with mules from my time in Idaho as a kid. These benevolent and loving darlings are too often treated extremely harshly and exploited for their hard work and other abilities. I'm SO thrilled to see this new project - for humans and critters alike. Prayers for the donkeys and all the best for one & all! :)

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