As humans continue to contend with COVID-19, herds of wild burros in Southern California's Inland Empire are facing their own outbreak of a deadly equine influenza that has killed more than a dozen donkeys since June.
The burros, which roam around 30 to 40 square miles in the mountains and hills east of Riverside and south of San Bernardino, began showing up sick around a month ago, said Chad Cheatham, vice president of the nonprofit DonkeyLand sanctuary in Colton.
While serving as a sanctuary for injured burros, DonkeyLand has also been responding to reports of sick donkeys and taking them to equine veterinarians for treatment.
