We responded Friday morning (Jan. 11) to a call about a burro that had an orange cone stuck on one of its hooves.
The burro, part of one of the many well-known herds in the Reche Canyon area and other pockets in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, was spotted near a development at Spring Mountain Road and East Palmyrita Avenue in Riverside.
The cone may have been a construction cone or the type of cone used in sports leagues. It was on its right front hoof.
Animal Services Officer Chris Peck was unable to get near the burro due to the terrain and the animal’s nervousness.
Officer Peck requested Lt. James Huffman’s assistance with a tranquilizer dart. Lt. Huffman was able to land a dart successfully on the burro. But the burro did not succumb fully to the effects of the tranquilizer.
Nonetheless, Officer Peck approached the burro in a non-threatening manner, backing toward it, pretending he was uninterested in the animal. He got within about a foot of the burro, slowly dropped down to one knee, and just about the moment the burro was done with the officer’s company, Peck grabbed the cone and removed it.
“The good news is the burro did not appear to have any injury related to wearing the cone temporarily,” Peck said. “He probably got it stuck earlier in the morning. Burros are curious and playful. He was probably playing with it and then he had his uh-oh moment.”
