Mexican icon becoming a vanishing breed (cute photo alert!)

[KansDem]

By Sergio Solache, Special for USA TODAY

OTUMBA, Mexico — You can hear the Burroland donkey shelter long before seeing it. The braying mixes with the lonely whistles of freight trains in this small town outside Mexico City.

In a vacant lot beside the railroad tracks, 20 donkeys wander behind a wire fence, munching carrots and leftover tortillas and waiting for pats on the head from the occasional tourist.

This shelter for unwanted donkeys would have once seemed a laughable idea in Mexico, where the hard-working burro is practically a national symbol, manager German Flores says.

But Mexico's donkeys are quickly being replaced by pickups and tractors even in the poorest areas, prompting efforts to save the unwanted animals and to remind Mexicans how much their country owes to these beasts of burden.

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USAToday


Manager German Flores carries an 18-week-old donkey at Burroland in Otumba, Mexico. The shelter cares for unwanted animals.

[a la izquierda]

1. Oh my, I'll take one!

Or three!!!

[Maru Kitteh]

2. There's a little farm here that has about 20 of them - they're adorable

And so sweet too.