Reward for information in California burro killings now over $100,000
Organization
BLM Office:
Media Contact:
NEEDLES, Calif. – Thanks to the generous new pledges made by Roy Dunlap Spay & Neuter Foundation ($32,000), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ($5,000), and the National Mustang Association ($5,000), the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the deaths of 46 wild burros from the Clark Mountain Herd Area in California has now risen to more than $100,000.
Since May, a total of 46 wild burro carcasses with gunshot wounds have been found along Interstate 15 between Halloran Springs, California, and Primm, Nevada, in various states of decomposition. Since August, the Bureau of Land Management discovered an additional four burro carcasses—adding an additional four dead burros to the previously reported figure.
“BLM Law Enforcement continues to aggressively investigate these brutal killings in conjunction with local law enforcement authorities. We’re grateful to each of these new donors for their generosity, and for joining us in working to solve these crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice,” said BLM Deputy Director for Policy and Programs William Perry Pendley.
“The Roy Dunlap Foundation hopes that making this $32,000 pledge will help draw enough attention to bring the killer or killers to justice,” the Roy Dunlap Spay and Neuter Foundation said in a statement. The foundation made its pledge in cooperation with Return to Freedom Wild Horse Conservation, a national non-profit wild horse and burro advocacy organization.
The Roy Dunlap Spay and Neuter Foundation is a private non-profit animal welfare organization dedicated to ethical treatment of all animals.
The new pledges join those of the Bureau of Land Management ($10,000), The Platero Project ($32,500), Return To Freedom ($5000), the American Wild Horse Campaign ($2,500), The Humane Society of the United States ($2,500), Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue ($2,500), Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue ($2,500), and The Cloud Foundation ($1,000).
The burros killed are all from the Clark Mountain Herd Area in San Bernardino County, managed by the BLM’s Needles Field Office. Bureau of Land Management law enforcement is leading the rapidly expanding investigation into the illegal killings in coordination with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to call the WeTip hotline at 800-78CRIME (800-782-7463) or visit http://www.wetip.com. Callers may remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward for information leading to the arrest(s) and conviction(s) of any person(s) responsible for the deaths of these protected animals. More information on the rewards offered by the conservation and animal welfare organizations can be found on the organizations’ websites.
The animals are federally protected under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. The Act protects wild, free-roaming horses and burros from capture, branding, harassment, or death; and considers them an integral part of the natural system of public lands managed by the BLM. Anyone arrested and found guilty of willfully violating a regulation issued pursuant to this Act, shall be subject to a fine of not more than $2,000, or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both. These penalties can apply to each count charged.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.