Saturday, November 19, 2016

Inmate Program

On our first trip through Florence last month, I thought I saw a big white billboard type sign that said "Wild Burros." But since I wasn't expecting such a sign, I wasn't certain I saw it correctly. Coming back into town on a back road on the second or maybe third trip through Florence we did indeed see burros and horses. LOTS of burros and horses in corrals. Next to one of the prisons.

Florence is home to at least 7 prisons, detention centers and correctional facilities. It is the county seat of Pinal County and has one of the largest judicial buildings I have seen for a community of 25,000 to 30,000. Driving through the town does not indicate that population. The city limits include a couple of 'middle of nowhere' housing developments which make that population number possible. In fact, we noticed a couple of years ago the Florence hospital complex was closed. A new hospital was built in one of the 'middle of nowhere' developments, northwest of the town proper.

On the last Florence area trip, we purposely took that back road again to checkout the wild burros and horses.


Visitors? Adoptions every Friday.





there was a viewing area where we could stand and
watch the burros and take photos





these two ambled over to the fence
no one else came to check us out


variety of colors
most with the same shoulder markings


all tagged, including this baby
there were several little ones


since 2012?
I am positive that sign on Hwy. 79 was not there last year


WHIP provides for the inmates


alfalfa bales were lined up outside the corral 


the horses must have had enough to eat as no one
was bothering the bales


some of the wild horses were huge


a variety of colors


they all looked healthy


there must have been at least a hundred horses in the corrals

I had no idea there were that many wild horses on the AZ BLM land. I know there is a herd along the Salt River some CV people have been fortunate to see. I have seen only the evidence of said wild horses. Maybe some of the horses at the Inmate Program (WHIP) are from the Salt River herd. I know the burros did not come from Oatman as those guys were VERY friendly and would have crowded the fence looking for treats. No one was around to ask questions and I wasn't about to knock at the gate. Another geocaching surprise with at least a little explanation.

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