San Bernardino County Health Department contacted the Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue at the end of 2023 and asked for our help. Because of a new law that took effect in January 2024, counties that have wild donkey problems can work with legitimate, experienced nonprofits to safely and humanely remove them.
We were issued a Memorandum of Understanding that was to begin June 01, 2024. We mobilized hundreds of thousands of dollars in PVDR owned capture and transport equipment and Peaceful Valley purchased tens of thousands of dollars in specialized insurance required just for this project to meet this specified contract date. We are poised to begin this project with our very best and most experienced wild burro capture experts. Our veterinarians are standing by. We have cleared holding space at our various facilities so that once they have cleared their necessary blood screening, we can move them out of state. We anticipate capturing 200 donkeys in the first few weeks of the project bringing immediate relief to the neighborhoods and the roadways.
But then the social media warriors got involved with another misinformation campaign and the county got cold feet. Although most of these people are not residents of the county, they feel their voice is important.
In 2009, PVDR along with a Federal Agency were asked to reduce this same herd by half when this exact same thing happened. At the time the herd numbered around 200 donkeys. We were shut down by well intentioned but misinformed people. What resulted was uncontrolled herd growth, disease including Equine Influenza, traffic accidents, trains killing donkeys and a human fatality as well.
Donkey herds typically double in size every four years. The Riverside/San Bernardino Herd is now roughly 600-1000 donkeys. They are diseased, they have sarcoid tumors and they are spreading these diseases to local livestock. They are destructive to private property and they are a traffic hazard.
Peaceful Valley works with:
National Park Service
US Military
NASA
Bureau of Land Management
US Fish & Wildlife
US Forestry Service
Texas, California and other State Law Enforcement agencies
Peaceful Valley uses self catching baited traps. All of our donkeys receive the best health care provided by the top Veterinary Schools in the country. We have a nation-wide adoption program where the donkeys are returned to us if the adopter can no longer care for them. The donkeys that are unsuitable for adoption are placed on one of our many sanctuaries.
Because of the recent misinformation campaign on social media, the county has pulled back from implementing our contract. PVDR is invested financially in this project. If we remove our resources, San Bernardino County will be placed at the end of the line of those needing our help. The herd will continue to grow at its current out of control rate, doubling every four years. The diseases will continue to rage unchecked. Property destruction will continue unabated. And the roads will remain unsafe. All thanks to people who are not your neighbors.
Many threats have been posted against myself and my team in relationship to this project and I would ask "to what end?" So that more donkeys can suffer from disease, malnutrition, traffic accidents? More residents can suffer more property damage, more traffic collisions or heaven forbid the community suffer another fatality?
Peaceful Valley does not take money from any government agency, this includes San Bernardino County. We are funded solely by people who care about donkeys and know that we always put the well being of the donkeys first.