Mustang A Day Challenge Painting # 303 Burro #2531

Burro #2531
5 by 5 inches Watercolor
by Linda L Martin Artist
SOLD

Burro #2531 is part of the Eastern States Internet adoption That started April 11th and will end on April 25th. 
 All bidders must be approved before they are able to bid on the available horses and burros. You can get information about this burro and 9 others and how to qualify to adopt through the BLM sight:
https://www.blm.gov/adoptahorse/horse.php?horse_id=5123

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Here is the information as provided by the BLM.:

Burro #2531 Ready to Adopt
Photo provided by the BLM

 Sex: Gelding
Age: 8 Years 
Height (in hands):
Neck tag #: 2531  
Date Captured: 09/26/09
Color: Gray   
Captured: Slate Range (CA)

Burro #2531 Ready to Adopt
Photo provided by the BLM

Notes:
#2531 - 8 yr old gray gelded jack, captured Sept 2009, in the Slate Range HMA, California.
This burro is currently located in Canon City. For more information, contact Lona Kossnar at 719-269-8539 or lona_kossnar@blm.gov.
 
Pick up options (by appt): Canon City, CO; Elm Creek, NE; Pauls Valley, OK; Piney Woods, MS.
Other pick up options: Rutland, VT (6/15); Unadilla, GA (6/23).
  
  
The opening bid is $125.00        
You must be approved to bid
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This is your opportunity to own an amazing piece of living US History.  Personally I think he is a very cute boy and doesn't even begin to look his age.He has a lot of potential for the person wanting to take on a gentling and training project for the summer.

If you are interested and have never adopted I suggest two things: 1) read the requirements and then 2) locate a Tip Trainer near you to guide your through the process and the training.

Tip Trainers can be found through  the Mustang Heritage Foundation: http://www.mustangheritagefoundation.org
Requirements and available horses can be found on line at the BLM On-line Adoptions site. http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/whbprogram/adoption_program/facility.html

Mustang A Day Challenge Painting # 294 "In His Mom's Shadow" Texas Big Bend Burros

"In His Mom's Shadow"
6 by 9 inches Watercolor
by Linda L Martin Artist
$130.00

Prints are available of this item for $25.00 each
contact the artist here: llmartisticservices@yahoo.com

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this item will go to the protection and preservation of the Texas Burros.

The painting "In His Mom's Shadow" was inspired by some of the research I have been doing in preparation for the painting of this mini series of  wild burros from Texas. Learning to adapt to the rough mostly treeless terrain of the South West Texas dessert  has been a form of self preservation for the burros. The main predators in the area are mountain lions. The wild cats, also called puma, often perch in trees or in high rocky areas and pounce down on  their prey. For a burro sized mostly under 13 hands to find the comfort of shade trees along the Rio Grande or its Tributaries would be certain death. So the burro foals have learned to stand and sleep on the shady side of their mothers during the hot times of the day. Another form of heat coping is to walk slowly and keep their heads down as the heat radiates up as the temperature rises.

Interestingly enough the State of Texas in their conservation efforts  and desire to bring back big horn Sheep to the  Big Bend Ranch State Park are targeting both the mountain lions and the burros for removal to give the sheep a chance to become established. The Burros are being targeted because it is claimed that they compete with the sheep for food and foul the infrequent watering sources. And the mountain lions because they will predate on the sheep. There are several other introduced species as well that the State of Texas park service wishes to remove from the park.

While the State of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department states on their website that there is no danger of Burros competing with the desert big horn sheep at this time and that some of the burros are probably of the American Heritage variety worthy of preserving, most of the burros are wanted off the land simply because they have adapted so easily to the terrain and are healthy and expanding in herd groups.The website maintains that if the burros are not managed, they may in the future present a problem to the sheep and endanger other wildlife.

Citizens groups of Texas would like to see the donkeys preserved and managed in the park so that they can be adopted out, not removed entirely.  The Citizens certainly do not  want the random killing off the donkeys currently living with in the park as was proposed in 2011. At this time the Governor's office is rethinking the management policy after receiving 100,000 signatures in protest of the killing of Burros in the park.  On April 7th, 2012 a number of wild burro advocates will be visiting the state house in Austin to bring their ideas and awareness about the  the wild burro situation in Big Bend Ranch State Park.

To find out more about what the latest updates are on the preservation of the Big Bend Ranch State Park Wild Burros you can follow  the Wild Burro Protection League under Todd Mission Rescue page on Facebook