Grand Canyon Bison Relocated

In September, in cooperation with the InterTribal Buffalo Council, Kaibab National Forest, and Arizona Game And Fish Department, National Park Service (NPS) staff successfully relocated 57 bison from the North Rim. All bison were transferred to theInterTribal Buffalo Council, who successfully transported them to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation (Kans.), Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe (S. Dak.), Santee Sioux Tribe (Nebr.), and Modoc Nation (Okla.).

Eleven additional bison were outfitted with tracking collars and released during the corralling process. The collaring was conducted in partnership with the U.S. Geological Service in order for park wildlife biologists to study bison migratory patterns and population size.

The goal of the 2020 Bison Reduction Program was to capture and relocate approximately 60-100 bison during a two-week corralling period from August 28-September 8. A pilot program was conducted on the North Rim in September 2019 with successful relocation of 31 bison to the Quapaw Tribe (Okla.).

NPS wildlife biologists estimate that the North Rim bison herd has grown from approximately 100 bison, brought to the House Rock Wildlife Area in the early 1900s, to between 400 to 600 bison. Though the bison roam the Kaibab Plateau, they spend most of their time on the North Rim of the park. Wildlife biologists predict that the herd could grow to nearly 800 in the next three years and be as large as 1200 to 1500 animals within 10 years without further management actions to control the size of the herd.

In the next three to five years, the NPS will continue to reduce the size of the House Rock bison herd on the Kaibab Plateau. Operational details of future herd reduction are still being discussed.

For more information visit the following sites: Bison at Grand Canyon National Park, Bison Impacts and Monitoring, and Bison Facts.