Donkey Roping  - The Abuse Still Continues

                                                          by Crystal Ward    -    January 25, 2010

                All too often I sit down in front of my computer and read through the incoming emails.  Today

was no different, another email from a woman, this time from Arizona, who was kind enough to rescue

two donkeys who were previously roped by some wannabe cowboys.   She goes into much detail about

her attempts of getting halters on the donkeys since they would not trust humans due to the rough

handling and continual roping.  The jack needed to be castrated, however her local veterinarians were

unwilling to castrate an animal who could not be caught.   Finally, with the help of a friend, the donkeys

were caught, haltered  and  the jack was driven 60 miles away to a veterinarian willing to castrate the

jack.  

                Fast forward eighteen months later, the two donkeys are still very wary of humans.   Likely these

two donkeys were also stuck routinely with a cattle prod as part of their past roping abuse prior to being

rescued.    Neither donkey will allow anyone to touch or pick up their back feet in spite of the kindness

shown for the past 18 months.   It’s probable they may never be gentle and gain the trust of a human

again.   And very likely, this woman may have to continue to use extreme caution whenever approaching

or attempting to brush either donkey for the next twenty-some years.   As most people who have a

passion for donkeys know,  these animals are extremely intelligent and have an incredible memory.  

They remember the pain inflicted upon them for no apparent reason.   They remember it happened over

and over again.   And they also remember it was from a human. 

                Unfortunately, I can recall countless emails from people throughout several states who have

similar stories and have written to me for advice.   It’s only through these stories we can help educate

and hopefully stop this abuse.    It’s also not simply my reading the many stories about what people

encountered with these donkeys.    I’ve personally witnessed donkeys who were victims of roping abuse

who came to my ranch for gentling and training.   Unfortunately once again, there’s no easy “fix” from

this abuse.   Although the donkey is removed from the environment which it lived in pure fear and pain,

the memories will live forever in their hearts and mind. 

             What can we do?    We need to write letters, articles and emails to anyone who will listen.  We

need to be the voice of the donkey for once.   We need tougher laws to clearly spell out that roping ANY

equine merely for sport is against the law.  And we need law enforcement or animal control officers to

enforce the law.   What some people refer to as a lowly beast of burden which is often the brunt of most

jokes, instead should be treated with the same respect and dignity as it’s cousin the horse.  We also

need to educate ranchers and local donkey owners to encourage them to castrate their jacks which

leads to indiscriminate breeding.   A huge surplus of standard donkeys in Texas and nearby states has led

to inexpensive donkeys used for practice roping.   For a mere $10.00 per donkey at many livestock

auctions, some cowboys can’t seem to resist cheap donkeys to practice their roping skills on.  Once the

donkey is so highly abused to the point it hunkers down in the practice pen, the donkeys are  returned

to the auction yard waiting for the next cowboy to bid on them.  And the abuse continues.   

         In some cases, ranchers don’t even bother to haul the spent donkeys back to the auction yards. 

Many simply drive a trailer load of donkeys to a remote location in Texas and turn them loose to fend

for themselves.   How many of these donkeys also suffer from physical injuries from being roped and fail

to get veterinary care?  Fortunately for the few donkeys who are reported and caught by animal control,

the Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue has stepped up and taken possession of these donkeys  found

wandering loose.   It seems a fair majority are intact jacks.  Probably all were roped at one time or

another.

        Further, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), needs to stop contributing to this problem by

requiring all intact jacks they adopt out be castrated before they go up for adoption to the public.

Last spring a BLM adoption was held here in Placerville, California.  Several burros were available to

the public, the mature (intact) jacks were in one corral, the jennets were held in another.   Are ropers

“adopting” BLM burros?  Once adopted by the general public, are the jacks required to be castrated or

do they continue to reproduce?   Try adopting an un-neutered or un-spayed mature dog or cat from

your local animal shelter  with no restrictions. 

                *On January 26, 2010, I received the following response from Timothy Green, BLM Official, Palomino Valley, Nevada;

Crystal,

“As a general rule all jacks that are at least one year old and brought into this facility are castrated.  However, if an individual wants the jack left intact we will accommodate him/her.   The BLM tries to discourage people from adopting unneutered jacks.  

As for the question about someone adopting several burros and using them for team roping; yes the BLM would be very concerned.  That is not the intent of the wild horse and/or wild burro adoption program.  The BLM policy on this is:  If an individual is known to have adopted burros in the past for team roping purposes or if an individual indicates that this is what he is going to use them for - We will NOT adopt to him/her.”

  * On January 28, 1010, I received another response from a BLM official in Arizona;

Ms. Ward,

 I am the State Wild Horse and Burro Program Lead in Arizona and your email was forwarded to me.   Unless there is a preference in certain areas for gelded jacks, the BLM does not offer them.  Most jacks adopted by BLM are intact.  Conversely, stud horses are routinely gelded prior to adoption.  There are exceptions, but for the most part, gelded horses are more adoptable than studs.

          I personally adopted two BLM burros several years ago from the Ridgecrest, California facility. 

Two beautiful burros came home with me, although the wranglers at the facility sure tried to talk me

into adopting more that day.   It took approximately 18 months before a BLM compliance officer to

arrive at my ranch to inspect the facilities and check on the welfare of the burros.   Would the BLM really 

be concerned if the burros went to homes specifically for the purpose of roping?  

         Consider for a moment, the hundreds (or thousands) of discarded donkeys who fall victim to ropers

simply because they are cheap?   What would happen if more donkeys were castrated and their

numbers dropped significantly, which would potentially lead to higher prices at the livestock auctions?  

Or better yet, with lesser numbers, perhaps these donkeys will not suffer the fate of a livestock auction

yard.   What if we launched a campaign to educate ranchers and ropers of the abuse these animals fall

victim to?   Can these ropers even be educated?    If we have laws in place such as anti-tripping laws for

equines, why aren’t the ranchers prosecuted  by every animal control officer  or SPCA representative in

every state this is taking place? 

         Why do we have television networks (RFDTV) where they claim it “serves the entire equine

industry” air shows promoting donkey roping in 2005 and again in 2008, sponsored by the American

Quarter Horse Association.   Yeah, RFDTV serves the entire equine industry alright, but not necessarily in

a positive or humane manner to ALL equines!  It’s interesting to also note AQHA has both sponsored and

aired segments of ropers roping donkeys rather than steers.   Yet their position on animal welfare states

in part “all horses and all animals shall at all times be treated humanely and with dignity, respect and

compassion”.

           Fortunately the most recent stories topped the internet due to a very perceptive journalist by the

name of Libby Cluett  from Mineral Wells, Texas,  who originally contacted me on March 1^st, 2009. 

Letters and emails poured in from across the country (and a few other countries) thanks to Ms. Cluett’

article and photos she took.   We urgently need more journalists like Ms. Cluett and national

organizations such as the National Miniature Donkey Association to keep this issue in the publics eye.

We also need rescue organizations such as the Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue who independently 

stepped up to take in perhaps hundreds of donkeys who have fallen victim to these callous ropers.   In

the meantime, for those who can continue to write letters, we still need to let our politicians, television

networks, horse organizations and magazines know where we stand.   The Peaceful Valley Donkey

Rescue could also use the public’s support by means of donations for the cost to house the donkeys who

will never trust a human again.   If your local county has a horse rescue which also rescues donkeys who

were previously roped, consider sending in a donation with a letter stating why.  It might make a big

difference to the donkeys it benefits and will help keep this issue in the publics eye.