Grand Canyon National Park says it removed 100 bison from the park’s north rim this month.
The controversial herd has been blamed for damaging vegetation, archaeological sites and animal habitat.
Park officials captured the bison last week and transported them to Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in South Dakota.
It’s part of a yearly roundup by the park to reduce the animal's numbers at the Grand Canyon and repopulate the species on Indigenous lands where they were once wiped out.
Park managers have grappled for years with how to handle the bison. The herd moved into the park after they were introduced nearby as part of a 19th-century ranching operation.
Grand Canyon Bison Manager Brady Dunne says there are benefits to removing the animals each year.
“They are also going to contribute to the genetics of the nationwide bison herd, so this wasn’t just a ‘Yee-haw,’ you know, let's catch bison for fun. This is a very scientific and well-executed project,” Dunne says.
Dunne and other managers want to keep the bison population between 200 and 300 animals. The herd was estimated at nearly 600 in 2020.
He says biologists don’t know how many bison the local landscape can support, and it’s disputed how often the animals frequented the area historically.
