听力首页 听力教程 VOA慢速 英语歌曲 外语下载 英语小说 英语词典 在线背单词 听力论坛 韩语学习
听力专题 英语教材 VOA标准 英语动画 英语考试 资源技巧 英语翻译 单词连连看 听力家园 德语学习
听力搜索 英语导读 BBC英语 英语视频 英语电台 英语QQ群 外语歌曲   英语游戏 英语网刊 日语学习
当前位置: 英语听力论坛 » 【VOA慢速教室】 » Burros Can Do More Than Work Just as Pack Animals
返回列表 发帖

Burros Can Do More Than Work Just as Pack Animals


       
       


This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

A burro is a small donkey. Another way that people say it is BOOR-oh. The name comes from Spanish and, before that, from a Latin term for a small horse. Donkeys are related to horses. Both are part of the equine family.

Burros reach an average height of over a meter. They can weigh more than two hundred twenty-five kilograms. The long-eared animals are often gray with white noses, jaws and undersides. But they can also have coats of red or blue.
Burros are known for their sure footing on mountains while carrying heavy loads. Americans know about them mainly from a history of use as pack animals in Arizona and other areas of the desert Southwest. Gold miners and others imported them to work. Animals that escaped or were freed became the ancestors of burros in the wild today.
But burros are not only good pack animals. They can also help calm and control nervous horses and guard sheep and goats on farms. Robin Rivello from the American Mustang and Burro Association says burros have even protected farm animals against bears.
People may have the idea that burros and donkeys do not like being told what to do. Experts say the animals are not being stubborn. They just like to take their time to consider what they will do.
In the United States, there are breeders who raise and sell burros. Americans can also adopt a burro removed from the wild by the Bureau of Land Management, a federal agency.
People who get a wild burro need to "gentle" the animal. Gentling means training it to accept the human attention needed for care and grooming.
Burros like to clean each other. These desert animals groom themselves with dust. So it is normal for a burro to have some dirt in its coat. A brush can remove hardened mud.
Experts advise owners not to let their burros eat too much. Being overweight can ruin their health.
Robin Rivello says a burro's feet should be cleaned and cared for every six to eight weeks. But she warns owners not to raise the feet as high as with a horse. A burro's legs differ from the legs of a horse. The pain could make the burro kick.
And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. Go to 51voa.com for transcripts, MP3s and captioned videos of our reports. I'm Karen Leggett.

返回列表