Sit back and be prepared to read for awhile. This is Jackie's story and it should be told.
I had gone to the BLM facility in Ridgecrest, CA and was given a wonderful tour of the facility. While traveling the perimeter we stopped at a section that housed adult Burros and their offspring. A HUGE spotted Jenny came up to the fence for attention. Most of the burros (except for the babies) were standoffish as they were gathered from the wild. This girl, with rolls of fat on her neck, sides and rear was very personable and followed the truck as we continued on our tour.
I was told she had been gathered by the BLM in Oatman, AZ. Oatman is an old gold mining town and their main attraction is the wild burros wandering the streets. Since these burros are fed all kinds of food by tourists (candy, candy bars, sandwiches, popcorn, carrots by the bushel load, apples, potatoe chips, etc.) through the years they develop fat deposits on their bodies. The BLM gathered her and a few others for health reasons.
After I came home I began searching the internet for info on the burros of Oatman, AZ. Much to my surprise I found MANY pictures taken by visitors to Oatman of this particular donkey! She has some distinctive markings so it was easy to identify her in the pictures.
In many of the internet postings I read that the Burros do have names.I contacted the Oatman Chamber of Commerce to see if they could tell me more as I found her picture on their website from 2004 with her baby JJ. http://oatmangoldroad.org/burros.htm
They got back to me quickly and gave me contact information for a lady named Bren who they called "The Burro Momma" and indicated that she could tell me about this particular burro.
Bren told me that her name was Jackie and provided information, tons of pictures and stories of Jacke since her birth May 28, 2002 until she left Oatman in March 2012. Another Oatman resident named Jolene contributed stories and pictures also.
It is rare for any TIER resident to have a documented history. We wish to thank Bren for keeping such detailed records/photos and Jolene for the "HA! HA!" dress up pictures/stories. These ladies went above and beyond in helping me learn about Jackie and the other burros. They had not known where Jackie went (she had been the herd boss lady of the Oatman town burros). They both cried when they realized that I was seeking information and that Jackie would be coming to TIER. These women care deeply about their burro friends.