RECHE CANYON – Burros are beloved in Reche Canyon, near San Bernadino, USA,  but residents worry about how frequently they are maimed or killed by cars speeding on the windy two-lane road that connects Colton and Moreno Valley.Half a century ago, a rancher freed a few burros into the canyon and their numbers have since grown to about 300, area residents say. With no natural predators, herds of wild donkeys are said to double in size every four years.

After years of trying everything from posting burro crossing signs to putting reflective collars on those that could be corralled, Riverside County Animal Services is trying a new method.

Roughly 50 burros have been castrated in recent months in an attempt to control the population and lessen

A sign on Reche Canyon Road in Reche Canyon warns motorists of crossing burros. Burro deaths and injuries are rising as their population grows and more cars go through the area. (Khai Le/Correspondent)

the likelihood of the donkeys wandering onto the road.”Because there are so many of them and because traffic is so bad, it is a problem,” said longtime resident Rhonda Leavitt, who assists animal control officers with the neutering. “But I think it has cut down on the number being hit.”

Statistics on how many burros are hit each year were not immediately available but residents say they see it happen about once every other month.

Cindy Turner, who has nicknamed Reche Canyon the “Canyon of Death,” started documenting dead burros on the side of the road about a year ago in hopes of shocking someone into taking action.

She has photographed six in the past five months.

“To see something like this – it doesn’t have to happen,” Turner said. “Seeing that the animals are dying unnecessarily and they are suffering is brutal. Their deaths are pretty gruesome.”

A decline in burro deaths has been seen since the castration program started, officials said.

Pens are set up with hay and water inside to lure in the burros. They are then tranquilized so animal workers can neuter them, insert a microchip, vaccinate them and attach a reflective collar.

“We’re trying to think of ways to resolve the situation. It’s really a scary situation when they’re on the road and they get hit,” said Betsy Ritchie, Animal Services’ captain of field operations.

Not all residents have understood or agreed with the practice. Some remain unaware.

After someone kept opening the pen during the night and letting out the burros that had been corralled for neutering, Leavitt and her husband set up their motor home nearby and stood by on “burro watch.”

“Some people don’t get what we’re doing and they don’t realize we’re trying to keep (the burros) healthy,” Ritchie said.

Years ago, little could be done to keep burros safe or to treat those who were hit by vehicles. Burros are federally protected, meaning that local agencies were not legally allowed to care for them.

Yet, officials say the donkeys in Reche Canyon are the only ones in California that graze on private land.

Wanting to care for injured burros and euthanize those who were suffering after being hit, Rita Gutierrez and Betsy Ritchie went to Sacramento in 2007 and fought to tend to the animals.

The women, who work for Riverside County Animal Services, were successful. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the legislation.

“In the old days we weren’t doing it with the blessing of the state. We were technically not even supposed to touch them,” said John Welsh, spokesman for the Animal Services Department. “Now we can go over officially and respond to

Male burros graze on a hill near Reche Canyon Road in Reche Canyon. Animal control has started a donkey-neutering program in an effort to reduce their numbers, and accidents. (Khai Le Correspondent)