Burrolandia: The donkey obsession
Twenty years ago, German Flores decided to start preserving the Mexican donkey, an endangered species with only 300 to 500 individuals in the whole country. Seeing that the donkey population in Mexico was decreasing led Germán Flores to start taking care of them. It was a natural decision for him, since it´s part of the identity of his town, Otumba, Mexico State, a place where even this species is very famous, it´s also severely mistreated. After trying to convince the government to take action without a response, he decided to talk with his children and his wife, and they decided to pursue as a family the crazy idea of protecting, caring for, and preserving Mexico's donkey. This is how Burrolandia was born, to give dignified living conditions to around 100 “burritos” that come mostly from exploitation and abuse situations around Mexico. Even though these animals came from colonization, brought from Africa by Spanish people, they became essential living beings for us Mexicans. Nowadays, their decline primarily comes from mechanization replacing traditional work animals, which is why they have been abandoned or mistreated by people who previously “used” them. Germán is in love with these animals: “They are incredibly grateful little animals, very noble, and they awaken tenderness in you. They awaken a spiritual peace when you are with them; they give you balance, balance in body, mind and spirit.” It´s common to see him preparing a raffle, selling something he owns, or making efforts to invite people to visit the sanctuary. He says all of this is worth it because when he was a 13 years old boy he had a donkey named Roberto, who transported him to make groceries for other people, so he could earn a little bit of extra money while being part of a poor family: “I was the Uber of the neighborhood, I would deliver to them the list of things they wanted and they would give me a tip. In that way I was able to buy my uniforms, my sneakers, pay for my school supplies.” This sanctuary is located in Otumba, Mexico State, in the area where German’s house is located. To feed the donkeys, he and his family need to give them 400 kilos of oats and alfalfa daily, which translates to around 6,000 USD every month, reason why they open their space to the public every weekend and ask people to support them. Even taking care of the donkeys has been very difficult, Germán’s son, Raúl, is now also on board working at Burrolandia. “Well I think it is very, very important, because it is a symbol of all the work, all the effort that we have had here in Mexico: this little animal has supported us for a very long time for different activities of carrying loads, transportation, development, not only of our locality, of the country, but even of the world, so it is something very worrying that the little donkey is disappearing.” This story is not only about Burrolandia, but about this man’s “craziness” for rescuing these animals, in a unique world he and his family have created following that dream.