Wild donkeys take over Califronia UC campus as university issues warning to students
Move over, college kids — UC Riverside has some heavyweight party crashers, and they’re leaving students to deal with a whole lot of hee-haw.
500-pound wild donkeys have been roaming the California campus, turning up near dorms and drawing attention from a university community that can’t seem to get enough of the furry trespassers.
But these aren’t cuddly pets looking for a handout.
They’re wild animals with powerful hooves, unpredictable behavior and a track record of deadly encounters with traffic.
Five burros were killed and a driver injured when a herd wandered onto the 215 Freeway in 2020. The following year, six donkeys died after being struck by a train in San Timoteo Canyon.
At UCR, the unexpected visitors have become a regular sight, with appearances reportedly increasing around 2021 before becoming commonplace by 2023.
The university recently shared photos of the roaming animals, including two spotted near Lothian Residence Hall, but paired the cute snapshots with a decidedly less cuddly message: Keep your distance.
Feeding the beasts is also off-limits. University officials warn that handouts can disrupt their natural foraging habits and make the burros less wary of humans and vehicles. Drivers are being urged to slow down on campus roads and in parking lots, too.
There’s good reason not to underestimate the animals. Some shepherds in Northern California use donkeys to protect livestock from wolves, relying on their powerful bites and kicks to fend off predators.
Those same defenses can make them dangerous when they feel threatened.
The burros roam the nearby Box Springs Mountain Reserve and surrounding Inland Empire hills, where a herd of several hundred lives. As vegetation dries out during summer and fall, the university’s greener grounds can offer an appealing place to graze.
Still, at least one observer thinks the animals could be doing the area a favor by munching through vegetation.
“They have really done a good job managing the brush as well. They probably will save us from a wildfire nightmare scenario,” A community member posted.
