100 bison taken off range at North Rim of the Grand Canyon, shipped to tribe

LAS VEGAS ( KLAS ) — A bison herd on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon continues to grow, prompting wildlife officials to send 100 of the wild animals to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in South Dakota.

The operation was completed on Friday, Sept. 13, according to a National Park Service news release.

Officials had estimated the 2024 summer population at 378. Since efforts to reduce the herd began in 2018, 306 bison have been removed from the North Rim, with 282 transferred to eight different American Indian tribes through an agreement with the Intertribal Buffalo Council.

At times, hunts have been allowed. In 2023, tribes were allowed to hunt. “Traditionally associated tribes” took part in hunts “to access meat, hides and animal parts for traditional, cultural, educational, and religious use,” according to NPS.

Hunting is permitted on the herd outside of park boundaries.

The herd spends summers in open meadows and near water sources where they are most likely to be viewed by the public. NPS cautions people to stay away from bison — at least 100 feet — and avoid blocking roads to see the animals. “Water is clearly a limiting factor as they are more dispersed when there is more water on the landscape, such as during the summer monsoons,” according to NPS.

Bison and buffalo are distinct species, although the names have been used interchangeably through history. Bison have large heads and humped shoulders, while “true” buffalo are native to Africa and Asia. They are not closely related.

The Kaibab Plateau bison herd dates back to 1906, part of a repopulation effort by frontiersman Charles Jesse “Buffalo” Jones . The herd remains one of the few unfenced wild herds in the U.S., according to NPS.

Many breeders had tried to cross-breed bison and cattle, and DNA from cattle is high — about 1.6% — compared to other herds that originated at the time.

“Arizona Game & Fish Department managed the herd starting in 1929 at approximately 100 bison, in the House Rock Wildlife Area within the Kaibab National Forest,” according to the NPS history of the herd . ”In the 1990s, due to public hunting pressure, drought, reduced forage and fire, about 100 bison migrated to Grand Canyon National Park’s North Rim. Since 2010, the herd has primarily resided on the North Rim within Grand Canyon National Park.”

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