Burro removal operations were to get underway Monday in Death Valley National Park/NPS, Mitch Gage

A project aimed at reducing the number of nonnative burros in Death Valley National Park was scheduled to begin Monday and run through mid-May. It's a project that could create traffic delays of up to 4 hours on a number of remote, unpaved roads during helicopter operations.

Burro gathers within portions of the park are planned for the Panamint Mountains and near Darwin Falls. Unpaved roads within Butte Valley and Goler Wash are likely to have traffic delays up to 4 hours while burros are moving along roads, from April 25-27, the park said in a release. These delays are for visitor and burro safety. Other areas of the park are not anticipated to need travel restrictions.

The burro gather is being done by the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management to protect native wildlife and ecosystems and to improve the condition of park wilderness. Burros are not native to the California desert, and feral burros found in the park are descendants of domestic donkeys abandoned by miners more than 100 years ago. NPS officials estimate there are now over 4,000 burros in the park.

Burros damage sensitive desert springs through trampling, overgrazing of vegetation, and fouling of the water. Burros compete with bighorn sheep and other native wildlife for scare desert resources such as food and water. Burros also damage important cultural sites, including historic cabins and archaeological sites. Park visitors have reported aggressive burros, and burros on roads are a driving hazard.

The BLM will conduct gather operations using the drive trap method, an effective and humane method moving the burros at a slow pace to capture sites. Gather operations will be conducted with care and compassion for the animals’ well-being and adhere to humane handling standards as outlined in the BLM’s Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program. The burros will then be transported to the BLM’s adoption facility in Ridgecrest, CA.

For information on how to adopt or purchase a wild horse or burro from the Ridgecrest Wild Horse and Burro Corrals call 760-384-5765 or visit www.blm.gov/whb. For information on projects and burro adoption from Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue, visit donkeyrescue.org.