Adopt a Living Western Legend

Thousands of wild horses and burros roam free on Utah’s public lands. They are descendants horses that escaped from early Spanish explorers, American Indians, Western cowboys and early prospectors.

These animals are an important part of our national heritage and are living symbols of the American West. The federal Bureau of Land Management has responsibility to protect and manage them.

The wild herds sometimes grow to the point that there are more animals than the range can support. When that happens BLM crews round up surplus animals and make them available to the public for adoption.

One such adoption will take place Saturday, Dec 17, at a BLM facility near Salt Lake City, for some 45 wild burros. Burros are small, donkey-like animals, as you can see from the photo. They were used as pack animals by Western prospectors.

The next adoption for horses will be in March at the Utah Horse Expo, in South Jordan, Utah.

See BLM’s website for more info. This pdf also has details.