At the University of California, Riverside, wild donkeys have become a surprising symbol of campus life, adored by students who take selfies with them and share sightings on social media. However, the relationship between these burros and the nearby community is more complex, with some residents viewing the animals as a potential safety hazard due to risks like car accidents and property damage.
Recent events have highlighted this tension. After San Bernardino County entered into a contract with a Texas-based nonprofit to relocate hundreds of the donkeys, public backlash surfaced, including threats against the nonprofit’s leader, prompting officials to cancel the agreement last year. Outrage flared again when reports emerged of at least six donkeys being shot with arrows in a string of unresolved incidents.
Despite the community dialogue surrounding them, much remains unknown about the wild donkey population in the Inland Empire. Questions about their numbers, growth rate, and ecological impacts are yet to be explored. To address these gaps, a team of researchers at UC Riverside is studying the local donkey population with the intention of fostering coexistence between humans and donkeys.
Marko Spasojevic, an associate professor in the university’s Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, is leading this initiative. He emphasizes the need to mitigate conflicts by understanding the donkeys’ behavior and habitat requirements. Preliminary estimates suggest several hundred donkeys inhabit areas like the Box Springs Mountain Reserve, often venturing into nearby communities, particularly during warmer months in search of food and shelter.
This fall, graduate student Wyatt Hall will deploy motion-activated wildlife cameras across the donkeys’ habitat to track and count the population. “Understanding how quickly that population is growing will help us think about minimizing traffic collisions,” Spasojevic said. “If the population is growing a lot, we may need to think about putting in barriers or wildlife overpasses.”
Research goals also include assessing the ecological role of the donkeys, who may help control invasive plant species, although their pathways could contribute to soil erosion. Plans for future studies include analyzing dung samples to understand dietary habits and, budget permitting, fitting some donkeys with GPS collars to monitor their movements.
Additionally, the research team aims to uncover the origins of the Inland Empire’s wild donkey herd through genetic analysis. Spasojevic notes that while historical accounts suggest abandoned donkeys from gold miners or ranchers moving burros from Death Valley, DNA comparisons could reveal the truth.
Unique to this situation is the proximity of the wild donkeys to urban environments, differing from larger populations found in more remote regions. As development in the Inland Empire continues, interactions between humans and donkeys are expected to rise, underlining the urgency for effective management and understanding of this distinctive population.
On campus, there are ongoing efforts to educate students about safe interactions with the donkeys, emphasizing that these animals, which can weigh up to 500 pounds, should not be fed or approached, especially since they may react aggressively when threatened. As the situation evolves, further research will provide valuable insights into facilitating coexistence among residents, students, and these wild burros.
