Burros in the Brush

Walking along the high mountain desert flat through the Colorado brush country is an immersive experience defined by distant peaks and vast landscapes. It’s enhanced by the region’s signature, menthol-like aroma. The environment’s arid beauty is shared by the resilient, yet delicate silver-green vegetation known as Artemisia tridentata, or sagebrush. The fragile ecosystem is home to the state’s equally frail inhabitant, the sage grouse. 

With a short seven-day hunting season and two-bird limit, coupled with the confined geographic areas and public lands in which to hunt the iconic birds, wingshooters looking to check off a Centennial State sage grouse may on rare occasions run into wandering donkeys skimming the boundaries of state-accessed and private lands. These controversial equine statuses hover around a mix of wild, feral, and domesticated.

We’d been hunting an expansive sage flat when the dogs pointed and flushed two sage hens that settled down a hundred yards away. A greyish-colored donkey stood staunch near where the birds landed. It was part of a small, scattered herd lazily grazing nearby. On the ground, a lone sage grouse scurried around trying to hide amongst the heavily flattened area of sagebrush. The scene conjured up thoughts of how donkeys came to be on the landscape and the intertwined story between them and the sage grouse.

From Mining Camps to Open Range 

With their giant, expressive ears and fluffy coats, donkeys—often called burros—were brought to Colorado during the 19^th-century mining booms. These beasts of burden worked underground or as rugged pack animals carrying supplies across steep terrain and sagebrush field basins occupied by thousands of sage grouse. 

When the prospecting era ended in 1930, many of the sturdy, resilient animals were abandoned and turned loose, eventually becoming wild. With no regulation and population control, herds grew. The 1950s brought conflict between feral donkeys and private livestock for resources. Ranchers began hunting the unprotected burros until 1971 when the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act went into effect. Afterwards, most went into private ownership with only a small number of “wild” donkeys being managed.

Nature's Four-Legged Guardians

Identifying the donkey’s inherent dislike for canines, natural territorial instinct, and known aggressiveness to defend their pasture, ranchers moved them onto properties to protect and guard livestock. The burros watched over sheep, goats, and cattle from predatory coyotes, mountain lions, and migrating wolves. Donkeys made excellent farm companions, acting as herd leaders to keep livestock calm. Landowners also used them for vegetation management. However, the presence of donkeys and any fencing used to control them altered the landscape. Careful grazing management was essential to avoid fragmenting the brittle sagebrush. This put donkeys back in the crosshairs. 

When Wildlife Competes

It’s estimated that Colorado has 3000 to 5000 donkeys. These animals have established ranching presence across shared rangelands that encompass sizable plots of at-risk sagebrush that have caused them to intersect with the sage grouse. Considered the premier “umbrella” species of the American West’s sagebrush sea, the large ground-dwelling bird is exceptionally susceptible to habitat loss. As “sagebrush obligates,” the birds rely entirely on vast, unfragmented sagebrush ecosystems for every stage of their life cycle.

Because 40-50% of the bird’s habitat occurs on private tracts, working lands, agricultural and grazing management plans are vital to the grouse’s survival. Where they intermix, donkeys deplete scarce food and water, intensifying competition with native ungulates like the pronghorn.

The Cost to the Sagebrush

The argument over feral and private land donkeys in Colorado centers on the degradation of the sensitive sagebrush which is critical for native species like the sage grouse. Because donkeys are highly adaptable grazers and browsers, they can heavily impact and over-consume native plants and strip the sagebrush canopy. This leaves sage grouse and other wildlife vulnerable to predation and weather extremes. Another byproduct attributed to a donkey’s heavy land foraging is soil erosion caused by their trampling hooves. It disrupts fragile topsoil and promotes the spread of invasive cheatgrass.

Can the West Make Room for Both?

Is it possible for both to co-exist? Time will tell. In the meantime, there’s no question that sage grouse are dependent on large, undisturbed sagebrush. Both ranch and free-ranging donkeys pose an ecological conflict and keeping them on the same acreage as the sage grouse will require a delicate balance. Though minimal numbers of feral burros reside across Colorado, if left uncontrolled, can pose an environmental threat. It begs the question…can donkeys and sage grouse reside side by side?