2026 Lake Pleasant HMA Wild Burro Gather

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM)’s Hassayampa Field Office began the wild and burro gather in and around the Lake Pleasant Herd Management Area (HMA) on April 1, 2026.

Purpose of Gather:

The objective of the gather is to bring the population closer to the appropriate management level (AML) as well as address nuisance and public safety issues.

Details of Gather:

The BLM plans to gather and remove up to 1,500 wild burros to address herd health while also conserving resources and protecting public health and safety. BLM contractors will conduct gather operations utilizing temporary bait and water traps consisting of a series of corral panels stocked with water, forage, or both. The priority will be to gather burros that are outside the herd management area on state and private lands where they can damage property and cause public safety concerns.  

Public Observation:

Due to the nature of the gather, there will be no public viewing opportunities.

Adoption Information:

Animals removed from the Lake Pleasant HMA will be made available for adoption or purchase at Florence Wild Horse and Burro Training and Off-range Corral through the Wild Horse and Burro Adoption and Sales Program.

Background:

The BLM manages free-roaming wild horses and burros on public lands as part of its multiple-use mission, with the goal of supporting healthy wild horses and burros on healthy public rangelands. The BLM recently updated the herd management area plan for the Lake Pleasant HMA through an approved environmental assessment. That decision set an AML of 140-250 wild burros in the herd management area. Implementation will include gathering and removing excess burros to reach the lower end of the AML range, as well as administering fertility control to help maintain a healthy population.  

Daily Gather Reports

This gather began on April 1, 2026. Updates will be posted here.

Monday, April 6

Summary: 67ºF–82ºF. Cloudy

Animals Gathered: 14 (9 Jacks, 4 Jennies and 1 Foal)

Animals Shipped: 0 (0 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Animals Released: 0 (0 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Deaths: 0

- Sudden / Acute: 0

- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0


Tuesday, April 7

Summary: 63ºF–89ºF. Sunny

Animals Gathered: 5 (5 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Animals Shipped: 0 (0 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Animals Released: 0 (0 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Deaths: 0

- Sudden / Acute: 0

- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0


Wednesday, April 8

Summary: 62ºF–89ºF. Sunny

Animals Gathered: 12 (8 Jacks, 3 Jennies and 1 Foal)

Animals Shipped: 0 (0 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Animals Released: 0 (0 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Deaths: 0

- Sudden / Acute: 0

- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0


Thursday, April 9

Summary: 62ºF–89ºF. Sunny

Animals Gathered: 15 (8 Jacks, 7 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Animals Shipped: 15 (15 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Animals Released: 0 (0 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Deaths: 0

- Sudden / Acute: 0

- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0


Friday, April 10

Summary: 66ºF–85ºF. Cloudy

Animals Gathered: 5 (4 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 1 Foal [born while in holding])

Animals Shipped: 16 (16 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Animals Released: 0 (0 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Deaths: 0

- Sudden / Acute: 0

- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0


Saturday, April 11

Summary: 57ºF–68ºF. Sunny

Animals Gathered: 21 (7 Jacks, 14 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Animals Shipped: 0 (0 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Animals Released: 0 (0 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Deaths: 0

- Sudden / Acute: 0

- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0


Sunday, April 12

Summary: 57ºF–68ºF. Sunny

Animals Gathered: 6 (4 Jacks, 2 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Animals Shipped: 0 (0 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Animals Released: 0 (0 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Deaths: 0

- Sudden / Acute: 0

- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0


Monday, April 13

Summary: 57ºF–68ºF. Sunny

Animals Gathered: 1 (1 Jack, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Animals Shipped: 0 (0 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Animals Released: 0 (0 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Deaths: 0

- Sudden / Acute: 0

- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0


Tuesday, April 14

Summary: 52ºF–74ºF. Sunny

Animals Gathered: 21 (13 Jacks, 8 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Animals Shipped: 0 (0 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Animals Released: 0 (0 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Deaths: 0

- Sudden / Acute: 0

- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0


Wednesday, April 15

Summary: 55ºF–80ºF. Sunny

Animals Gathered: 5 (5 Jacks, 5 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Animals Shipped: 28 (7 Jacks, 21 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Animals Released: 0 (0 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Deaths: 0

- Sudden / Acute: 0

- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0


Thursday, April 16

Summary: 60ºF–80ºF. Sunny

Animals Gathered: 0 (0 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Animals Shipped: 46 (26 Jacks, 17 Jennies and 3 Foals)

Animals Released: 0 (0 Jacks, 0 Jennies and 0 Foals)

Deaths: 0

- Sudden / Acute: 0

- Pre-existing / Chronic: 0

 

Gather Status

This gather began on April 1, 2026.

Animals Gathered: 105 Wild Burros (64 Jacks, 38 Jennies, and 3 Foals) 

Animals Shipped: 105 Wild Burros (64 Jacks, 38 Jennies, and 3 Foals) 

Animals Released: 0 Wild Burros (0 Jacks, 0 Jennies, and 0 Foals) 

Deaths: 0 
-Sudden / Acute:
-Pre-existing / Chronic:

Scroll to the bottom of this gather page for detailed “Daily Gather Reports"