Believe it or not, the extremely arid and seemingly inhospitable desert of Southern Nevada plays host to a large variety of wildlife, from large and impressive fauna like wild burros and horses to the smallest of insects and ants. And lizards! So many happy little lizards running among the heated stones, warming their creepy cold blood and wiggling their little legs. To endure in an environment as tough as this, many larger species have adapted to the surroundings, thriving on succulents and water-rich grasses to survive. They do pretty well, actually, and there are signs all over the area warning against feeding the wild animals... After all, these are wild animals, right? We don't need them becoming dependent upon humans for their survival, wandering into the roads and cityscape looking for scraps and snacks. Even though the speed limit is only 35, even that speed can be extremely dangerous when an animal as large as a burro has wandered into the middle of the road...
So, seriously, be careful out there! We went slow and found this group of wild burros grazing alongside the road, but even in approaching them without the vehicle we were extremely trepidatious. These are large, strong, aggressive animals capable of wrecking a several-thousand-pound vehicle, let alone a fragile human skeleton. While I've been around domesticated burros during my childhood and gotten to know and love their stubborn, sassy, independent attitudes, they're definitely not an animal you want to underestimate in the wild. Sure, they're cute- they're adorable! They remind us of Eeyore, and wasn't he just such a lovable grump? But the thing is, these are fully grown wild animals and not some cute cartoon character... they can wreck your shit, and you. So be cautious. We were. We shot these photos from a safe distance, after pulling the van off into a safe side area away from the main road and out of traffic. We walked back roughly half a mile to find them and then used the zoom feature on my camera, and even so, we got a few aggressive grunts from the main male in the area before we turned and started heading back for the safety of the van. On the way back out from the mountain at night, we passed at least four or five burros just along the periphery of the road, and a wild horse grazing alongside the road that scared the ever-living-crap out of us. Even with our high-beams on, the winding roads and the camouflaging nature of their coats made it difficult to spot any of the animals until we were really close. Be careful guys!
Thanks for stopping by~
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XOXO,
NAU
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