Burro Base Camp, just south of Kiowa, has a clear view of Pikes Peak and plenty of wide open space for their current group of 49 burros. Their mission is to find trusted homes for domestic and previously wild burros and support them through training and education.
At their event “Lunch with the Long Ears” on May 17, the community was allowed to mingle with the donkeys and learn more about Burro Base Camp. At the entrance, everyone was given a small bag of donkey treats and invited to complete a scavenger hunt. Some visitors even donated huge bags of whole peanuts for donkeys to snack on.
Amy Moore and her husband plan to adopt three donkeys — Zippy, Barnaby and Archie. Because donkeys are social animals, it’s preferable they’re adopted in a group. Moore said they’ve been visiting Burro Base Camp for weeks to learn more about how to care for their burros.

Founded in 2016, Burro Base Camp was a training ground for untamed burros from the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Program. The organization helped the burros master skills needed to thrive in a domestic setting, like accepting touch, grooming, haltering, leading and loading into a trailer. Kim and Mike Welk took over Burro Base Camp in August 2021, at a private farm in Kiowa.
In Kiowa, the camp’s programming expanded to support burros who needed a safe place to land. This includes burros in auction yards and sale pens, as well as those in need of rehoming from Colorado and beyond. In 2023, Burro Base Camp formally became a nonprofit organization.
“We currently have 49 burros. We have gotten as high as 65 and have averaged 44 donkeys over the past 12 months,” Welk said. “We have a handful of permanent residents.”

A donkey named Latte, won at auction, is one of Burro Base Camp’s success stories. Latte appeared to have recently slippered toes that were likely cut off to get him ready for the sale. As a result, he was very sore and immediately added to the list to see the vet and farrier. Slippered toes, where the hoof grows and curves upwards, are usually due to neglect or poor trimming.
“Latte was a case that we approached with concern that the best option for him may have been to end his suffering humanely,” Welk said. “We are grateful for his response to treatment thus far and hope he continues on this path. He is a very sweet guy and soaks up all of the love and attention directed his way.”
Latte received additional vet and farrier care, including getting X-rays, wearing boots to help with soreness, and receiving pain medication.
“Throughout his time here, he was so trusting and eager to share love with everyone who cared for him as if he knew he was finally getting the help he needed and so deserved,” Welk shared. “He made his way to his new home in April with a care plan in place and is currently thriving with his best trim report to date just the other day!”

Welk said their ability to help burros like Latte and provide them with the care they need couldn’t happen without their amazing donors, and organizations who provide grants to their programming. “We are grateful for our community and our amazing vet and farrier team who support us every day,” she said.
One visitor, Brandon Westhoff, also runs a donkey rescue called the Two-Mile High Club in Cripple Creek. Westhoff said that in the 1890s, donkeys were used and abused in Colorado mines, where they lived, worked and died, often going blind. According to Westhoof, local folklore says that in the early 1900s, Teddy Roosevelt visited Cripple Creek and, acknowledging the deplorable conditions for donkeys, said, “all God’s creatures deserve sun on their faces.”
After the advent of electricity when the need for donkeys waned, they were simply let loose into the wilderness. “Donkeys don’t have anyone to advocate for them,” Westhoff said, “and we are their voice.”
Over time, Burro Base Camp has supported more than 400 burros and relies on the generosity of their donors, sponsors, grants and volunteers to continue their mission. To find out about more ways to help, visit burrobasecamp.com or email info@burrobasecamp.com.