LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A man faces federal charges for allegedly killing a wild burro and other animals outside Las Vegas and recording it, according to documents the 8 News Now Investigators obtained.
Mark King, of California, faces charges of maliciously causing the death or harassment of any wild free-roaming horse or burro and another charge connected to the death of a burro in January 2020, records said.
It was not until last October that the Bureau of Land Management said it received information “regarding the hunting and killing” of the wild burro, documents said.
Investigators later reviewed photos, video and metadata, which they said showed King with a scoped rifle alongside the dying animal, documents said. One video allegedly showed King “shooting at the dying burro.”
According to police, King and another person were recorded on video “driving around public lands, gesturing toward wildlife, including cattle and burrows” and shooting and killing them, documents said.
The other person was not named in the court documents reviewed Friday. A warrant was issued for King’s arrest on Tuesday, records said.
In 2021, The BLM proposed rounding up hundreds of burros over fears the animals were overeating vegetation. At that time, the department managed more than 500 burros in the nearly 300 square-mile area.
In a controversial practice, the department rounds up wild horses during large operations involving helicopters, which sometimes leads to the animals dying. Several videos over the last few years have shown horses falling or coming up lame during the roundups.
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