Federal officials are investigating after five wild burros were found shot and killed in Death Valley National Park earlier this week. “Park officials say these irresponsible actions are not warranted,” the release goes on. Burros were originally brought to North America by Christopher Columbus in 1495, according to the National Park Service. In 2022, the National Park Service estimated there were more than 4,000 burros in Death Valley. The Mojave Desert burros, unlike those in Death Valley, are protected under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act and therefore can’t be killed, harassed, captured or branded.

Source: CNN July 17, 2023 14:14 UTC