Friendly Wild Donkeys Roam the Streets of This Old Western Town

“You’ve got to see Oatman to believe it.”

Image by RJA1988 from Pixabay

I’m used to seeing donkeys on farms, grazing out in the fields alongside cows, goats, or sheep. Where I’m from, donkeys are known to be guard animals, watching over livestock and protecting them from predators.

I’ve even been to a donkey sanctuary once, where I saw all kinds of adorable donkeys being nursed back to health, or given a safe home free of abuse or neglect.

This sanctuary took in donkeys for owners who weren’t able to care for them properly. Run entirely on volunteer efforts, it was a heart-warming place, and I quickly fell in love with the donkeys.

But my vision of donkeys as farm animals or pets contrasts greatly with the wild burros of Oatman, Arizona.

Here, wild donkeys regularly roam freely throughout the town, drawing the attention of both locals and visitors.

“You’ve got to see Oatman to believe it. This tiny town is in a rugged area carved out of the wilderness by determined miners and now populated by more wild burros than people.”
— Visit Arizona

Nat Geo WILD describes the burros as “a pack of outcasts from the days of the Wild West,” and that’s exactly what they are!