Burros in temporary holding pens after being captured in Nevada. BLM photo.
The Bureau of Land Management is investigating the deaths from bronchopneumonia of 25 captive burros at its Axtell (Utah) Off-Range Corral between March 11-25.
The burros were captured during a roundup in February on the Canyonlands Herd Management Area in Wayne County, Utah.
Necropsy results found that the outbreak was complicated by a secondary infection caused by the bacteria Streptococcus equi ssp. Zooepidemicus, according to a BLM press release. The underlying infection causing the deaths of the burros was identified by veterinarians working with the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory as a gammaherpes virus.
Other affected burros are receiving antibiotiocs and anti-inflammatory medications to manage symptoms and reduce fever. Exposed burros have been given a long-acting antibiotic to reduce the risk of secondary infections.
The burros from Canyonlands remain under quarantine. No others at the corrals are showing symptoms, according to the press release.
The BLM said that the current outbreak is similar to one that killed 25 burros that had been captured on the nearby Sinbad Herd Management Area in which Asinine gammaherpesviruses 4 and 5 were found to be the underlying cause.
In January, there were 1,279 burros at the Axtell corrals, out of what BLM says is a capacity of 2,000, and 2,045 wild horses out of a capacity of 2,250.