Another wild donkey has been shot with an arrow in Moreno Valley.
Animal control officers responded to a report of injured donkey in the area of Pigeon Pass Road and Quail Call Drive on Wednesday, Sept. 10, Sgt. Dwight Espeleta said. They were able to corral the animal, suffering from an arrow lodged above its right shoulder.
“The donkey was transported to SoCal Equine Hospital and is expected to make a full recovery,” the sergeant said.
These attacks are becoming increasingly more common.
Three donkeys have now been struck by arrows in the last two months, Espeleta said.
Two wild donkeys were shot by arrows this past June, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said. Those animals were never able to be located, Estelela said. In 2022, a donkey died after being struck by an arrow in a canyon north of Moreno Valley, despite receiving medical care. In 2018, another donkey was injured after being shot in the ear.
Authorities do not know if any of the incidents are connected, or if the same suspect may have been responsible.
The animals are part of a much larger population that roams Reche Canyon, which stretches from Colton in San Bernardino County to Riverside County. More than 1,000 wild burros lived in the canyon a of 2023 – the largest such population in California, according to the office of state senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh.
The donkeys are a well-known part of the landscape, and frequently stray into surrounding neighborhoods. Some have been killed in collisions with cars and trains, and San Bernardino County Supervisor Dawn Rowe has noted that the county has fielded numerous complaints about the animals.
