Grand Canyon wildlife managers relocate 58 bison to 2 states
Sep 20, 2022, 4:35 AM
(Facebook Photo/National Park Service)
(Facebook Photo/National Park Service)
PHOENIX – Dozens of bison in the Grand Canyon were moved to new homes in other states recently in continuing efforts to safely reduce the herd, park officials said.
Last week, National Park Service wildlife managers arranged for 58 bison at the Grand Canyon North Rim to be sent to the Intertribal Buffalo Council in South Dakota, the agency said in a press release Monday.
Some of the animals remained in South Dakota on Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe land while the rest were taken to Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma.
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The bison were not targeted for lethal removal this year.
The park used skilled volunteers selected through a highly competitive and controversial lottery last year to kill bison, part of a toolset to downsize the herd that’s been trampling meadows and archaeological sites on the canyon’s North Rim.
The park service first implemented a plan with the tribal council to reduce the overpopulated bison at the Grand Canyon National Park in 2018.
Since working with the nonprofit council, made up of 69 tribes in 19 states, 182 of the 203 bison removed from the North Rim have been relocated.
Park officials have said that the bison negatively impact the park’s water, vegetation, soil and culturally significant sites and locations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
