[ti:Burros Can Do More Than Work Just as Pack Animals] [ar:Karen Leggett] [al:Agriculture Report] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]This is the VOA Special English [00:02.73]Agriculture Report. [00:04.72]A burro is a small donkey. [00:07.77]Another way that people say [00:10.07]it is BOOR-oh. [00:11.86]The name comes from Spanish and, [00:14.60]before that, from a Latin term [00:16.94]for a small horse. [00:19.04]Donkeys are related to horses. [00:21.53]Both are part of the equine family. [00:25.06]Burros reach an average [00:27.92]height of over a meter. [00:30.03]They can weigh more than [00:32.19]two hundred twenty-five kilograms. [00:35.18]The long-eared animals are often [00:38.54]gray with white noses, [00:40.89]jaws and undersides. [00:43.58]But they can also have [00:45.94]coats of red or blue. [00:48.33]Burros are known for [00:51.17]their sure footing on mountains [00:53.50]while carrying heavy loads. [00:56.04]Americans know about them mainly [00:59.38]from a history of use [01:00.82]as pack animals in Arizona [01:04.35]and other areas of the desert Southwest. [01:07.79]Gold miners and others [01:10.52]imported them to work. [01:12.32]Animals that escaped or were freed [01:16.55]became the ancestors of burros [01:20.08]in the wild today. [01:21.82]But burros are not [01:24.48]only good pack animals. [01:26.63]They can also help calm [01:29.22]and control nervous horses [01:31.96]and guard sheep and goats on farms. [01:36.04]Robin Rivello from the American [01:39.74]Mustang and Burro Association says [01:43.93]burros have even protected [01:46.27]farm animals against bears. [01:49.32]People may have the idea [01:52.06]that burros and donkeys [01:53.97]do not like being told what to do. [01:57.03]Experts say the animals [02:00.01]are not being stubborn. [02:02.21]They just like to take their time [02:04.55]to consider what they will do. [02:07.35]In the United States, [02:10.39]there are breeders who raise [02:12.53]and sell burros. [02:14.44]Americans can also adopt a burro [02:18.38]removed from the wild [02:19.83]by the Bureau of Land Management, [02:23.22]a federal agency. [02:24.88]People who get a wild burro [02:28.52]need to "gentle" the animal. [02:30.56]Gentling means training it [02:33.79]to accept the human attention [02:35.65]needed for care and grooming. [02:38.71]Burros like to clean each other. [02:42.35]These desert animals groom [02:45.61]themselves with dust. [02:46.70]So it is normal for a burro [02:49.94]to have some dirt in its coat. [02:52.42]A brush can remove hardened mud. [02:56.42]Experts advise owners not to [03:00.75]let their burros eat too much. [03:03.03]Being overweight can ruin their health. [03:07.66]Robin Rivello says [03:10.32]a burro's feet should be cleaned [03:13.28]and cared for every six to eight weeks. [03:18.05]But she warns owners [03:20.59]not to raise the feet [03:22.94]as high as with a horse. [03:25.33]A burro's legs differ [03:28.02]from the legs of a horse. [03:29.86]The pain could make the burro kick. [03:33.99]And that's the VOA Special English [03:37.87]Agriculture Report, [03:39.86]written by Jerilyn Watson. [03:43.30]Go to 51voa.com for transcripts, [03:48.29]MP3s and captioned videos [03:51.48]of our reports. [03:52.92]I'm Karen Leggett.