My Wild Burro Story: Adam Eggers and Penelope

Penelope or “Penny” is from Yuma, Arizona, and was a part of the BLM and Arizona Dept. of Corrections Wild Horse and Burro Training Program. We adopted her about 3.5 years ago to be a companion for our quarter horse, while we were evaluating/looking for a trained mustang. Penny often pulls double-duty as a security guard at our new house as we discovered that there are two packs of coyotes nearby. This doesn’t mix well with the fact that my wife also raises chickens. While we often hear the coyotes, they don't dare come near our yard thanks to Penny. We can tell if they get too close because she'll start to bray and you can hear them run away.

She now has three equine brothers, of which one is a mustang, that she tolerates – especially when one of them takes her feeding spot. She is a gentle but capable protector of our home acreage, a vocal reminder of feeding time, and has even served as an alarm clock for a few times I forgot to set one!

Adam Eggers works for Media Services within the BLM National Training Center in Arizona.