OC family adopts burros through Bureau of Land Management program

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (KABC) -- This summer, the Katsiametis family in San Juan Capistrano adopted two wild burros through the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management, or the BLM. The animals live on Katsiametis' home property along with other farm animals.

"These two particular came from the Lake Havasu area. They got tamed through the BLM. And then given to us just a few months ago," said Dino Katsiametis.

The bureau oversees and protects wild horses and burros on more than 25 million acres of public land across 10 western states. They also work to place excess animals like burros into private care through their adoption and sales program.

"We do enjoy them quite a bit. They'll be horsing around, donkeying around I guess," said Katsiametis.

Katsiametis said when they moved into their home a year ago, they added animals like goats and chickens. To keep predators like coyotes away, they looked into the adoption program.

"At some point, the coyotes will get to the chickens and probably even the goats. We were told the donkeys are just natural protectors of the farmland and would protect all of the animals. The coyotes will basically stay away," Katsiametis said.

By having animals at home, the family said it helps. They take their food scraps and the animals' waste to create compost. And that's just one of the benefits.

"We haven't bought eggs in almost a year," Katsiametis said.