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An untamed ass dubbed Cupid is recovering from surgery subsequent to being shot with an arrow in what experts label the latest in a string of multiple incidents since June on donkeys that roam suburban-rural areas of inland southern California.

Animal Aid Underway

The young jenny was seen last Wednesday with a arrow shaft sticking out of her right shoulder as she wandered with a pack in the rolling hills of the region.

Wildlife rescuers and the county law enforcement answered the call and assisted in transporting the wounded animal in for an emergency procedure to extract the projectile. The object had punctured the burro’s respiratory organ.

“She is currently stable and is upright, which is a significant improvement,” a sanctuary official stated.

When Cupid is fully recovered, she will become part of a group of rescued burros who meander a expansive refuge and protected habitat.

Reward Offered for Tips

The animal welfare organization is posting a $24,000 reward, collected via donations, for information that helps achieve the capture and prosecution of individuals implicated in a half-dozen arrow assaults on burros over the last few months.

The local agency of animal services confirmed that the inquiry is ongoing, and requested the public’s help in finding a suspect or suspects.

Legally Guarded Animals

Free-roaming asses are safeguarded under U.S. statute. They are an recognizable representation of the American West, tracing back to their days as pack animals for people flocking to California during the 19th-century rush.

Burros have become an “unofficial mascot” of the region, where many of them have wandered at will for at least three-quarters of a century. They even contribute to fire prevention by consuming tinder in isolated and high-risk valleys.

“So they really do provide a positive contribution to the community. Emergency responders value them because, they note: ‘Wow, these animals can go areas we cannot access,’” a spokesperson added.

Community Impact

The animals are gentle but at times they can be a nuisance if they chomp on residents’ flowers or obstruct traffic when commuters stop to feed them from their cars.

In the past, a adjacent county, where wild burros are believed to total in the thousands, partnered with a rescue organization to responsibly catch the animals and relocate them to protected areas.

“Although the wild burros please many residents and visitors, they also frequently encounter cars and trucks and rail transports, leading to danger for burros and humans,” the county reported.

“The burros also badly hurt themselves resulting in infection and loss of life when they become snared in fencing or when their hooves get caught in cemetery flower vases.”

Ongoing Threats

The arrows used in the attacks were hunting-style tips, a design commonly employed for hunting. According to animal reports, the opening assault happened the weekend of 14 June, when a young burro was found grazing with an arrow in her side close to where Cupid was found.

A few days later, a additional burro was found hit with a similar style of arrow in the equivalent location. Since then, at least three other donkeys were targeted in the area, including a pair thought to be two to four months old.

Fit donkeys normally live up to half a century and differ in stature from small “miniatures” that may weigh a substantial amount to bulky “giants”.

Previously, two men pleaded guilty to federal charges for using powerful guns to slay three wild burros in an arid zone.