We left you with our first encounter of the burros, which meant we were getting close to Oatman with the promise of more burros.
Prepping for this post, it became very clear that this post will be about the burros and nothing else. We’ll tell you about Oatman next time.
But back to the burros:
We stopped on sight of the fist burros, a jenny and her foal, who quickly made their way over to investigate.
The foal was especially inquisitive,
and if he could he would have entered the van to look for a snack.
Instead, I went out and rubbed his neck. He loved that.
He followed me around
while his mama stood guard by the van
but kept watch, nonetheless.
He was not happy to see me leave.
These wild, or feral burros look well fed and rather clean and healthy.
Oatman was just around the corner. On top of the Black Mountains on Route 66, this once a ghost town, is now home to some free spirits and a whole lot of burros.
The burros were used to haul rocks and ore in the mines and carry supplies. When the mines closed, the burros were released into the hills and there are several herds in the area.
Currently there are more burros than people in Oatman!
They are everywhere.
On porches.
Standing in the shade, people watching.
Playing hide and seek behind cars.
But mostly looking for food.
We will leave you with something you need to know: the town hosts an annual Burro Biscuit Toss. Residents and visitors compete to see who can throw a dried-out, gold-painted burro dropping the farthest.
Us humans really know how to create fun out of anything.
Next, the town of Oatman.
That is hilarious! Burros are really cute. I love how they stand around town and watch the people and said for food. Thank you for a lift to my day 🤣
They were very cute and friendly, but there were multiple warnings not to be fooled by their friendly demeanor.
Maybe the burros should create a fun game for themselves. Seeing how far they can kick dried out tourists who want to toss gold burro droppings. They’re kind of cute and should have some fun too.
Totally! However, they are smart and if they toss the tourists who will toss them alfalfa cubes?
😂
The burros are so cute! It’s amazing you got to see one so up close and it’s kinda cute that they just blend in with the town and locals and tourists!
THey were just everywhere around town, stopping traffic, getting in your space if they thought you had food. Kind of reminded e of monkeys in some countries. Always on the lookout for food.
I have visited Oatman several times. I always got my kicks on that section of Rte 66 thanks to those ‘wild’ burros. Thanks for the memories.
Yeah, they are more feral than wild, but still adorable and a relic of an interesting history. I just love donkeys 🙂
“My, what lovely nostrils you have.” Tossing a burro dropping the farthest—perhaps we should make that recommendation for the next Olympic event.
You are right about how humans can create fun out of anything. I remember visiting some small midwestern town (Minnesota, I think) and they held a turtle contest as part of their local town fair. Each person was assigned a particular turtle. I think they had markings on their shells. The first turtle to leave the designated circle was declared the winner. My niece got an ice cream cone out of the deal.
Oh, that is an interesting game. You know you are in a small town when you come across some weird thing that does not exist anywhere else!
I love seeing these burros having the run of the town like that. And yes, humans can always come up with the most “original” competitions. We seem to be quite good at that.😃
It was fun to see them and the town was fun too!
My son and I drove through Arizona on the way to Atlanta, and I wish I’d known to divert for this – so fun!
It’s a very cool detour for many reasons, but the donkeys are one of the highlights. I hope you get to go another time!
So fun and funny! They seem really docile, looks like they are well taken care of. Maggie
I think that there were incidents of kicking and biting. There are warnings around town not to be fooled by the docile behaviour!
It’s true that the burros are inquisitive, even more so than for the food. Their visibility all over the city reminds me of the cows in India.
Yeah, it is a bit similar, but they are not so sacred in Arizona 🙂 They actually reminded me of the monkeys in Kathmandu 🙂
That is hilarious, the games we create out of nothing. Aren’t the burros adorable. And how cool to know they were released from work and live openly now.
Interesting that you say this. My first thought was that it was cruel and will they be able to survive, which they obviously did. So I guess your reaction is more on point!
It’s amazing how nature looks after itself better when we humans don’t interfere.
How fun to see so many burros!! I love how they are always looking for food. They probably would have come into your van for a snack if you let them!
They probably would. I saw them try to get into stores 🙂
In all my time I have been convinced that donkeys, of all animals, have more need for affection that any other. You did well to scratch his neck. He will tell others that you were a worthy human.
I love donkeys and that little guy really liked the attention. They are like the cats of the equine world 🙂
I hate it that we’ve never been to Oatman. Will have to go one day if we ever return to Arizona. The burros are so cute! So fun that the town has embraced them.
You can’t do it all, all at once 🙂 You will get a chance to go, and if not, you will be somewhere else that is just as amazing or more.
What adorable pictures! The biscuit toss sounds like a crazy idea and not something I want to do. People come up with the craziest ideas and other people line up to participate!
All for the sake of fun and drawing tourists ito the town 🙂
So much fun – I love them 🙂
I do too! They were so cute!
Love your burros. My daughter used to have a donkey that followed her around like a dog. He was so cute. I adored him. I also enjoyed your burros. Thanks, Muriel
I always wanted a donkey, but there was always another horse instead.
Love these burro photos! How fun!
It was fun to watch them!
Wow! This Burro was so amazing. He is so sweet. Anita
He really was very cute!
You’ve given me another place to go on my list
There is a lot to see in that area!