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NEEDLES, Ca. – The finding of approximately 40 wild burros randomly deceased while hiking in the Halloran Springs area in July 2019 was alarming to one hiker causing him to speak up.

A member of the Facebook group, Mojave Desert Explorers said that the burros he had seen were apparently shot. While some in the group expressed equal concern, others responded as if it was a normal occurrence. Johnny Ringo reported the killings of these animals, who are in their natural habitat to numerous agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). In August several agencies got together to increase the reward from $10,000 for the arrest and conviction of the person/persons responsible for their deaths to $18,500

The discovery has been made in the Clark Mountain Herd Area, managed by the Needles Field Office, San Bernardino County. The increase in reward came when the American Wild Horse Campaign, Return to Freedom and The Cloud Foundation organizations joined the BLM with plans to offer rewards of $2,500, $5,000 and $1,000. The BLM said that 42 wild burro carcasses with gunshot wounds have been found along the I-15 corridor between Halloran Springs, California and Primm, Nevada.

The burros appear to have been shot and killed at different times, possibly by different people, because they were all found in various states of decomposition. The BLM, is the leading investigation agency working on the investigation into the illegal killings. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife are all also assisting.

“America’s public lands belong to all of us. These cruel and hostile acts against federally protected animals strike at the heart of everyone working so hard for their protection and for humane, non-lethal solutions to management concerns,” said Neda DeMayo, president of Return to Freedom Wild Horse Conservation. “It’s our plan to raise this reward in hopes that someone will step forward with information that will help law enforcement end these senseless killings.”

Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to call the WeTip hotline at 800-78CRIME (800-782-7463) or visit http://www.wetip.com. Callers may remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward for information leading to the arrest(s) and conviction(s) of any person or persons responsible for the deaths of these protected animals. More information on the rewards offered by American Wild Horse Campaign, Return to Freedom and The Cloud Foundation can be found on the organizations’ websites.

The animals are federally protected under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. The Act protects wild, free-roaming horses and burros from capture, branding, harassment, or death; and considers them an integral part of the natural system of public lands managed by the BLM. Anyone arrested and found guilty of willfully violating a regulation issued pursuant to this Act, shall be subject to a fine of not more than $2,000, or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both. These penalties can apply to each count charged