Welcome home! Bison released into new territory in Badlands National Park

[Bayard]

The door of the gooseneck trailer clanged open and for a moment, the only sound was a lacerating wind whipping snow across the plains and canyons of Badlands National Park. A slew of onlookers waited in hushed anticipation. And then—as though a signaling bell chimed—four massive, majestic bison barreled through the opening and into the wild.

This is the first time that bison have touched this land since 1877.

Bison in Badlands National Park now have an additional 22,553 acres to roam thanks to a passionate group of supporters who want to see America’s national mammal thrive.

https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/welcome-home-bison-released-into-new-territory?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=species&utm_source=youtube.com

[MoonRiver]

1. YAAAAAAY!

They look so happy and FREE!!

[donkeypoofed]

2. 4? Is that it?

That'll lead to in-breeding. There's got to be more coming later, I hope.

It's great that they're home.

[hunter]

3. There were a little over 500 plains bison left by 1877.

The species has already suffered a very severe population bottleneck.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plains_bison

[Duppers]

5. That's a good point!

Hopefully they'll bring more. Dept of Interior couldn't afford a huge trailer?

[NCLefty]

11. "Almost 1,200 of these extraordinary animals live in this space."

Over 2,500 WWF donors and those from partner organizations raised nearly $750,000 to build 43 miles of new fence that extends bison habitat in the park from 57,640 acres to 80,193 acres—an area more than one-and-a-half times the size of Manhattan Island. Almost 1,200 of these extraordinary animals live in this space.

WWF is now working to establish five bison herds of at least 1,000 individuals each in the Northern Great Plains to increase the genetic health of this species. It is our hope that, in time, these herds will produce bison that can be shared with tribal communities and national parks in the years to come, helping our national mammal return to its home in the grasslands.

[Karadeniz]

4. Yay! I hope they learned from their previous herd members how to handle humans who

Interfere with them!

[Duppers]

6. What a heartwarming sight!

And it's heartbreaking to know how millions of bison were needlessly slaughter. They shot thousands from railroad cars & left them to rot!
These people were the forebears of the racist Republicans, who encouraged Native American genocide:

Bison slaughter was even encouraged by the US government as a means of starving out Native American populations, which relied on the bison for food. In fact, hunting of bison became so prevalent that travelers on trains in the Midwest would shoot bison during long-haul train trips.

Once numbering around 20 to 30 million in North America, the population of the American bison decreased to less than 1,000 by 1890, resulting in the near-extinction of the species. By the end of the century, only 325 were thought to survive in America.

This mountain of bison skulls shows how quickly the population was being depleted in the 1800s.



Thanks in large part to conservation efforts undertaken by Theodore Roosevelt and by the US government, there are now more than 500,000 bison in America.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/american-bison-extinction-1800s

[Bayard]

7. Killed for their tongues and their hides

The rest left to rot.

As opposed to the native peoples, who used every last bit of an animal in some way.

[Duppers]

8. And as a "deliberate policy by settler governments to destroy ...

... the food source of the native Indian peoples during times of conflict."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bison_hunting

Genocide.

[jeffreyi]

9. Anyone know the reason

They are being released this time of year? Seems like vittles could be short, unless they will be fed hay...?

[Bayard]

10. They won't starve

Many thousands of acres to eat, and only a few of them. Like mustangs, they'll paw under the snow to get to grass.