Above: file photo of one of the burros in Custer State Park, September 13, 2017.
(Originally published at 2:30 p.m. MST December 16, 2017)
All of the burros in Custer State Park have been found. During the first few days after the Legion Fire started in Custer State Park the staff had their hands full fighting the fire which ultimately burned over 54,000 acres. The small herd of burros that are beloved by tourists at first could not be found, then about half were located, and today the park announced that all nine of them are alive. The bad news is that all of the burros were injured in the fire. After consultation with a veterinarian, the staff decided to treat them, but “due to the nature of the burn injuries we will not know the outcome of the burros”, the park said in a statement.
Articles on Wildfire Today about the Legion Lake Fire are tagged “Legion Lake Fire”.
The burros are very tame and will come up to a parked car. They have been known to poke their head through open car windows hoping to get a carrot or a Cheeto. A Google image search illustrates this behavior.
In better news, a light layer of snow covers the fire which, the park announced Saturday, is “close to being fully under containment.