Willcox, Ariz. – Burro Palooza, an adoption event held during Wild Horse and Burro Awareness Week, proved to be a success on Tuesday, March 4. The event, aimed at placing wild burros into caring homes, resulted in all 24 burros finding new families, leading to the cancellation of the event’s second scheduled day.
The burros, primarily gathered from the deserts of central and western Arizona, were made available for adoption following evaluations by veterinarians. Each burro was vaccinated, de-wormed, and tested negative for Coggins before being introduced to potential adopters.
The Willcox event featured training demonstrations with their inmate trainers from Arizona Corrections Industries, a program where inmates can learn skills for workplace reentry and earn compensation towards saving for their release, family and child support, and restitution funds.
Wild Horse and Burro Awareness Week runs from March 1 to March 8. This event highlights the role of wild horses and burros in American history and emphasizes the importance of their preservation. The week is centered around the March 5 birthday of Velma Bronn Johnston, also known as “Wild Horse Annie.” Johnston’s advocacy was instrumental in the passage of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act (Public Law 92-195), which was enacted to protect wild horses and burros on public lands.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plays a crucial role in managing and protecting wild horses and burros across 26.9 million acres of public land in ten Western states. The BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program was established to uphold the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. This legislation recognizes wild horses and burros as “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West.” It also entrusts the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service with the responsibility of managing and safeguarding these animals within their respective jurisdictions.
The passage of this law was spurred by public concern over the declining populations of wild horses and burros due to the activities of mustangers—individuals who captured the animals for commercial purposes. Throughout the 1950s, Velma B. Johnston led a grassroots campaign to protect wild horses and burros, enlisting the help of school children and journalists to spread awareness. By 1971, growing public concerns led Congress to unanimously pass the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, which was signed into law by President Richard M. Nixon.
Since 1971, the program has provided adoption to over 290,000 wild horses and burros, with over 40,000 of those in the last decade. In 2024, there was an estimated 73,520 wild horses and burros nationwide.
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