Burro In Custer State Park

Title

Burro In Custer State Park

Artist

Catherine Sherman

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

"Burro in Custer State Park, Black Hills, South Dakota" by Catherine Sherman.

A burro stands in the tall grass of Custer State Park in the Black Hills region of southwestern South Dakota. A small herd of burros live in the park, where they greet people and approach cars, hoping for a carrot and other treats.

A century ago, the burros were used as pack animals to transport tourists around the Harney Peak area. After that practice ended in the 1920s, some burros were turned loose in the park, and a small feral herd has shared the park ever since with bison, antelope and other wildlife.
The burros suffered due to the Legion Lake Fire, which started on December 11, 2017. It was caused by a downed power line and burned more than 53,000 acres, making it the third largest wildfire in Black Hills history. The burros required extensive veterinarian care, and unfortunately two of the burros didn't survive.

"Donkey" and "burro" are two words that refer to the same animal -- Equus asinus. "Donkey" is used to refer to the domesticated version, and "burro" is used to refer to smaller donkeys or wild donkeys most commonly found in the West. "Burro" is the Spanish word for "donkey."

Custer state Park protects 71,000 acres of grasslands and pine and spruce covered mountains in the Black Hills. The region is considered deeply sacred by several Great Plains Native American cultures. The highest US mountain east of the Rockies -- 7,242-foot Harney Peak -- is in the Black Hills.

Featured in "Our 4-Legged Friends" group (09/23/2019)

Uploaded

September 11th, 2019

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Viewed 268 Times  -  Last Visitor from New York, NY on 04/08/2024 at 4:14 PM

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