Antelope Island Bison Herd
Encyclopedia
Antelope Island
in Great Salt Lake
, Utah
, United States of America is part of Antelope Island State Park
. On the island, a semi-free ranging population of "Buffaloes" or American Bison
(Bison bison) have been in existence since 1893. Though the island was named for the Pronghorn Antelope that John C. Fremont and Kit Carson discovered there when they explored the Great Salt Lake, bison
(American Buffalo) were later introduced, and the island is now perhaps most famous for its bison herd.
The Antelope Island bison herd is significant because it is one of the largest and oldest publicly owned bison herds in the nation. It is one of the two bison herds managed by the State of Utah, the other being the Henry Mountains bison herd
. The Antelope Island bison herd currently numbers between 550 and 700 individuals. Other large free ranging, publicly controlled herds of bison
in the United States include the Yellowstone Park Bison Herd
(3,500 bison), the Henry Mountains Bison Herd
in south-central Utah
(300 to 500 animals), Wind Cave National Park
(350 bison) in South Dakota
, and the 400 strong National Bison Range Herd
near Flathead Lake, Montana
. In addition, though the bison on Antelope Island are Prairie Bison, which was the most common bison subspecies in North America, the bison have a distinct genetic heritage from many of the other bison herds in the United States
and they are considered to be desirable as part of the breeding and foundation stock for other bison herds, because of their separate genetic heritage and some of the distinct genetic markers that are found in the population.
"Buffalo Watching" is one of the most popular activities on Antelope Island
. In fact, the island is perhaps best known for the bison that inhabit it, and the bison are generally easily found and observed.
in the Great Salt Lake
.
Follow I-15 to Syracuse
, Utah
, 25 miles north of Salt Lake City.
Take the Syracuse
exit of I-15 (Exit 332) and go straight west 7 miles on Utah State Road 108 (Antelope Drive) to the Antelope Island State Park fee booth (at the beginning of the causeway).
Continue straight along the causeway 6 miles to the island then take the left fork of the road, turning towards the south.
Bison may occur almost anywhere on the island, including the northern end near the causeway, but most of them tend to congregate around the southeast area near the Fielding Garr Ranch
.
Once on the island, to head south towards major buffalo areas, in less than a half mile from the causeway, turn left a second time and travel south along this road about 11 miles to the ranch.
There is a gate that controls the southern portion of the road. This gate and the ranch opens at 9:00 AM and closes at 6:00 PM during the summer and 5 PM during the winter. Bison may occur on both sides of the gate, but the largest herding areas are generally south of the gate.
once numbered in the millions, perhaps between 25 million and 60 million by some estimates, and they were possibly the most numerous large land animal on earth. However, they were hunted to near extinction throughout North America
by the late 1880s.
Bison may once have occurred on Antelope Island
but if so they never seemed to have established a permanent population. At the time of the arrival of early European explorers and pioneers, there were no bison on the island. As bison became extinct over much of their range in the late 19th century a small population was taken to Antelope island and introduced. "Twelve bison, 4 bulls (males), 4 cows (females) and 4 calves were taken by boat to the island on February 15, 1893 by William Glassman and John Dooly." These twelve animals apparently came originally from a small private herd in Texas and became the foundation for what has grown into the Antelope Island Bison Herd as the bison increased quickly in numbers and by the early 20th century, several hundred of them were present on the island. The bison herd was managed from the Fielding Garr Ranch
on the south end of the island and even today the bison in the herd tend to congregate in that area.
One of the early silent movies of the 20th Century "The Covered Wagon
" was partly filmed on Antelope Island where a scene requiring a "Buffalo Hunt" and a "Buffalo Stampede" were needed. At the time the bison herd on Antelope Island was possibly the largest herd of bison left in the United States. After much effort about 350 of the animals were herded into a stampede and the stampede was caught on this early film. The movie is considered by some people to be the first great 'Western Epic' and it established some of the cliches that persist in 'Western' movies, such as circling the wagons in time of danger or attacks. During the movie, seven buffalo were shot and killed for the hunting scenes. "Don't grow sentimental over the seven," said James Cruze, the Director of the film. "The folks out there would like to get rid of the whole herd and they would, but for the sentimental hubbub that is always raised when they talk of rounding out the buffalo. The animals are worthless - there isn't worse meat on earth to eat- and they ruin the whole territory for cattle grazing purposes. So the buffalo remain - sentimental reminders of the America of the past."
It seems that profit was the principal motive for Mr. Dooly to establish the 'Buffalo Herd' on Antelope Island. By the 1890s the American Bison
was extinct over most of its former range and was becoming quite rare. Apparently John Dooly felt that he could ranch the 'buffaloes' and charge people money to hunt them. When keeping the bison for hunting proved economically unfeasible, attempts to ranch them on Antelope Island were terminated.
Bison hunting started on the island in 1896 and continued as a frequent activity until 1926 when the "Big Buffalo Hunt" eliminated all but a few of the bison. Thereafter, public sentiment changed during the 1920s and activists began to call for the protection of the herd on Antelope Island
. Though small scale hunting of the bison continues to this day.
In 1926 a final, large hunt was arranged and the buffalo on the island were hunted and most of them destroyed in one great slaughter. The hunt of 1926 was covered by Time
. A herd of approximately 300-400 Bison was culled to about 50 by a large group of hunters on horseback with modern rifles. John Dooly had sold the herd to A. H. Leonard in 1924. Leonard intended to sell the Bison to zoos, but was not able to corral them. He next tried to offer the island and the bison to the United States Department of the Interior. Leonard had hoped that a national park would be established on the island therefore preserving the herd. Time Magazine cites "Congressional apathy" for the lack of a land transfer. Leonard was one again forced to change his business plan. This time he wanted to expand the cattle ranching on the island and to do this the number of bison needed to be reduced. Leonard announced that a hunt would be held in the fall of 1926. The hunt took place in November, but not without protests from around the nation. The New York World
and other newspapers of the day tried to arouse public sentiment against the hunt. Utah governor George Dern
received formal protests of the hunt from the American Humane Society
, Massachusetts
governor Alvan T. Fuller
and Boston
mayor Malcolm Nichols
. Governor Dern declined to prevent the hunt stating, "Antelope Island and the buffalo herd are privately owned." The hunt took place with noted participants Ralph and Edward Ammerman of Scranton
, Pennsylvania
and big game hunter J. O. Beebe of Omaha
, Nebraska
.
The remnant bison population that escaped the hunt was mostly left alone, after the slaughter, and it began to increase again. The Antelope Island Bison Herd and the island remained in private hands until 1969 when the northern 2000 acres (809.4 ha) of the island were purchased by the state of Utah. Eventually, in 1981, the State of Utah purchased the Fielding Garr Ranch
and the rest of the island, including ownership of the herd which was once again numbering hundreds of individuals. Since that time, hunting has been restricted to only a few individuals per year, and the bison have been carefully managed and monitored for health and absence of disease.
Every year, in late October, all the bison on the island are herded towards a central area in a 'Great Buffalo Roundup' and sent briefly into pens where they are examined, weighed and vaccinated and decisions are made on culling
and selecting breeding stock. The majority of the bison are then turned loose within a few days, and are allowed to roam free on the island the rest of the year. The Antelope Island Bison Herd fluctuates between 550 and 700, and is one of the largest publicly owned bison herds in the nation. The reason for the variability of the size of the herd is that the bison produce approximately 150 to 200 calves every year, and since this is prime 'prairie' habitat for bison, with no significant predators, the herd can increase by up to 1/4 every year. It is currently felt that 700 is near the maximum preferred carrying capacity for bison on the island, so the excess bison need to be culled and removed. Bison from this island are often sent to other herd locations around North America because of their genetic isolation, some unique genetic markers contained in the population, and because of their disease free condition. Some bison are also purchased at the pen site in a yearly public auction, and are taken as meat or breeding stock for commercial 'buffalo' farms in other parts of the world.
"Though some resent the notion of corralling a wild beast like the bison for what amounts to a physical, most understand that the state means to protect the herd."
has large areas of dry grass prairie and this provides a nearly optimum environment for American Bison
. In addition, lack of disease, lack of competition and lack of predation allows the herd to increase in an almost unrestricted manner, so culling
and removal of excess individuals is necessary. The State of Utah performs this task every year in late October during the Antelope Island Buffalo Roundup. Then there is an additional small hunt of 5 or 6 individuals that occurs in December.
If there were significant Apex predator
s for the herd on Antelope Island, then yearly culling
of the herd would not be necessary. However, there are no significant predators. Bison are large herd animals that defend their young vigorously. Other mammals found on the island include Coyotes, Bobcats, Mule Deer
(estimated to number 250), Pronghorn Antelope (approximately 200 on the island), and Bighorn Sheep
(estimated 200). The Coyotes and Bobcats are far too small to establish significant predation on bison, even bison calves, and the other large mammals such as Mule Deer, Pronghorn Antelope and Big Horn Sheep are too small to successfully compete enough to displace the bison herds or otherwise restrict bison range and feeding. Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles and various large hawks and falcons are also found on Antelope Island, but likewise are incapable of predating large animals such as bison. Only wolves or bears would be likely to function successfully as apex predators of bison, but Antelope Island is considered to be unsuitable to them. Besides being very close to a major population center, the Wasatch Front
including Salt Lake City, Antelope Island
at 42 square miles (26,000 acres) could perhaps support a small population of these predators, but would not be likely to support a large enough population of predators to maintain genetic diversity and viability.
(Species: Bison bison) is not only a separate species, but actually in a separate genus from Domestic cattle (Bos primigenius), they clearly have a lot of genetic compatibility and American Bison can interbreed freely with cattle. Moreover, when they do interbreed, the crossbreeds tend to look very much like purebred Bison, so appearance is completely unreliable as a means of determining what is a purebred bison and what is a crossbred cow. Many ranchers have deliberately cross bred their cattle with bison, and it would also be expected that there could be some natural hybridization in areas where cattle and bison occur in the same range. Since cattle and bison eat similar food and tolerate similar conditions, they have often been in the same range together in the past, and opportunity for cross breeding may sometimes have been common.
In recent decades tests were developed to determine the source of mitochondrial DNA
in cattle and bison, and it was found that most private 'buffalo' herds were actually cross bred with cattle, and even most state and federal buffalo herds had some cattle DNA. With the advent of nuclear microsatellite DNA testing, the number of herds identified as containing cattle genes has increased. Though approximately 500,000 bison exist on private ranches and in public herds, some people estimate that perhaps only 15,000 to 25,000 of these bison are pure and are not actually bison-cattle hybrids. "DNA from domestic cattle (Bos taurus) has been detected in nearly all bison herds examined to date."
A landmark study of bison genetics that was performed by James Derr of the Texas A&M University corroborated this. The Derr study was undertaken in an attempt to determine what genetic problems bison might face as they repopulate former areas, and it noted that bison seem to be doing quite well, despite their apparent genetic bottleneck. One possible explanation for this might be the small amount of domestic cattle genes that are now in most bison populations, though this isn't the only possible explanation for bison success.
In the study cattle genes were also found in small amounts throughout most herds. "The hybridization experiments conducted by some of the owners of the five foundation herds of the late 1800s, have left a legacy of a small amount of cattle genetics in many of our existing bison herds." He also said, "All of the state owned bison herds tested (except for possibly one) contain animals with domestic cattle mtDNA." It appears that the one state herd that had no cattle genes was the Henry Mountains Bison Herd
in the Henry Mountains
of Utah. It was originally founded with bison from the Yellowstone Park Bison Herd
. However, the extension of this herd into the Book Cliffs
of Central Utah
involved mixing the founders with additional bison from another source, so it is not known if the Book Cliff extension of the herd is also free of cattle hybridization.
So, are the bison on Antelope Island actually Bison-Cattle hybrids? Quite possibly. However, if this is the case, the genetic studies seem to show that the number of cattle genes are very small. In the future, it may be discovered that almost all bison have some genetic inheritance from domestic cattle, but this doesn't mean that they aren't bison, especially if the cattle genetic contribution is very small. In some senses, this would be analogous to recent findings that many, if not most wild wolves have some domestic dog genes. An example is a study published in the journal 'Science' that indicate that wolves with black coats have generally inherited that gene as a result of ancient wolf-dog hybridization.
A separate study by Wilson and Strobeck, published in Genome, was done to define the relationships between different herds of bison in the United States and Canada, and to determine whether the bison at Wood Buffalo National Park
in Canada
and the Yellowstone Park Bison Herd
were possibly separate subspecies, and not Plains Bison. It was determined that the Wood Buffalo Park bison were actually cross breeds between Plains Bison and Wood Bison, but that their predominant genetic makeup was truly that of the expected "Wood Buffalo" (Bison bison athabascae). The Yellowstone Park Bison Herd
were Plains Bison (Bison bison bison). The bison in the Antelope Island herd appeared to be more distantly related to other Plains Bison than any other Plains Bison group that was tested, though this might be due to genetic drift caused by the small size of only 12 individuals in the founder population. Interestingly, a side finding of this was that the Antelope Island Bison Herd is most closely related to the Wood Buffalo National Park Bison Herd, though the Antelope Island Bison are actually Plains Bison.
of Antelope Island for Bison is not known. Currently it is estimated that perhaps 700 individual bison could live on the island without significantly degrading the environment or adversely affecting other species. In addition, decisions still need to be made regarding the future breeding and genetic maintenance of bison on the island. There also remain public concerns about the need for and the nature of the bison hunting that is still allowed in the herd, and some groups are working to change this policy. Another question is how to merge the management of the Antelope Island Bison Herd into the gradually developing national strategy to return wild bison to more of their previous historical range.
There continues to be some public controversy over both the culling
and hunting of the Antelope Island Bison Herd. Some groups have proposed that all culling
and hunting must stop, sales of bison at the annual auction must stop, and that the bison should be moved off the island to a natural habitat where they could live without interference. Unfortunately, most wildlife managers feel this is currently unfeasible. First, if culling
did stop while they are still on the island, they would soon overpopulate the island, causing ecological damage and would then undergo a catastrophic population crash from disease and starvation. Second, if there were large tracts of open range and natural habitat available at this time for these bison, then such habitat would probably either already have bison introduced to it, or be in the process of being evaluated and prepared for bison introduction. Currently, some state and national parks have habitat for bison, but most of these already have bison present. In addition, if moving the Antelope Island Bison Herd were an option, great care would still need to be taken to maintain their genetic diversity, to ensure that valuable genes are not irrevocably lost, so just 'leaving them alone' is not an ecologically sound option. Most specialists in Population Biology
feel it is not generally desirable to merge significant numbers of transplanted individuals with a large, already existing herd or population, such as the Yellowstone Park Bison Herd
since those herds are probably already at or near their Carrying Capacity
. Therefore, introduction of more animals, from Antelope Island, would only result in the deaths of an equal number of already existent bison, until the herd once again reached an equilibrium. Unfortunately, this is one of the fallacies that occur when many people suppose that just 'moving animals' to a new location is a 'humane' thing to do. Generally, when animals are moved, they end up displacing already existing animals, since the 'range' is generally already at or close to its carrying capacity
and the result often is that one or both animals die as the carrying capacity is exceeded. Lastly, merging the Antelope island bison with another herd could potentially cause introduction of domestic cattle genes, which appear to be carried by many bison, into herds where such genes are not currently present.
In the end, as a public resource, the desires of the public will determine the ultimate management and fate of the Antelope Island Bison Herd. But for now, as part of the Utah State Parks system it is expected that the animals will remain on the island, and visitors will continue to be able to observe them.
Antelope Island
Antelope Island, with an area of , is the largest island of 10 islands located within the Great Salt Lake, Utah, United States. The island lies in the southeastern portion of the lake, near Salt Lake City and Davis County, and becomes a peninsula when the lake is at extremely low levels. Antelope...
in Great Salt Lake
Great Salt Lake
The Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah, is the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere, the fourth-largest terminal lake in the world. In an average year the lake covers an area of around , but the lake's size fluctuates substantially due to its...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, United States of America is part of Antelope Island State Park
Antelope Island State Park
Antelope Island State Park is a Utah state park on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake. The park is in Davis County, Utah in the United States. It is open for year-round recreation and features an abundant wildlife population, including one of the largest free roaming herds of American Bison in...
. On the island, a semi-free ranging population of "Buffaloes" or American Bison
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
(Bison bison) have been in existence since 1893. Though the island was named for the Pronghorn Antelope that John C. Fremont and Kit Carson discovered there when they explored the Great Salt Lake, bison
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
(American Buffalo) were later introduced, and the island is now perhaps most famous for its bison herd.
The Antelope Island bison herd is significant because it is one of the largest and oldest publicly owned bison herds in the nation. It is one of the two bison herds managed by the State of Utah, the other being the Henry Mountains bison herd
Henry Mountains Bison Herd
The Henry Mountains Bison Herd, numbering 250 to 400 bison, is believed to be one of only four free roaming and genetically pure herds on public lands in North America...
. The Antelope Island bison herd currently numbers between 550 and 700 individuals. Other large free ranging, publicly controlled herds of bison
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
in the United States include the Yellowstone Park Bison Herd
Yellowstone Park Bison Herd
The Yellowstone Park bison herd in Yellowstone National Park is probably the oldest and largest public bison herd in the United States of America. Yellowstone is known for its geothermal activity and large mammals, especially Elk, Wolves, American Bison, Bears, Pronghorn Antelope, Moose and Bighorn...
(3,500 bison), the Henry Mountains Bison Herd
Henry Mountains Bison Herd
The Henry Mountains Bison Herd, numbering 250 to 400 bison, is believed to be one of only four free roaming and genetically pure herds on public lands in North America...
in south-central Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
(300 to 500 animals), Wind Cave National Park
Wind Cave National Park
Wind Cave National Park is a United States national park north of the town of Hot Springs in western South Dakota. Established in 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt, it was the seventh U.S. National Park and the first cave to be designated a national park anywhere in the world. The cave is...
(350 bison) in South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, and the 400 strong National Bison Range Herd
National Bison Range herd
The National Bison Range herd of American bison at the National Bison Range Wildlife Refuge in Flathead Valley of the U.S. state of Montana is home to about 350-500 of these animals. Other large wildlife found on the Range include elk, white-tail and mule deer, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep and...
near Flathead Lake, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. In addition, though the bison on Antelope Island are Prairie Bison, which was the most common bison subspecies in North America, the bison have a distinct genetic heritage from many of the other bison herds in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and they are considered to be desirable as part of the breeding and foundation stock for other bison herds, because of their separate genetic heritage and some of the distinct genetic markers that are found in the population.
"Buffalo Watching" is one of the most popular activities on Antelope Island
Antelope Island
Antelope Island, with an area of , is the largest island of 10 islands located within the Great Salt Lake, Utah, United States. The island lies in the southeastern portion of the lake, near Salt Lake City and Davis County, and becomes a peninsula when the lake is at extremely low levels. Antelope...
. In fact, the island is perhaps best known for the bison that inhabit it, and the bison are generally easily found and observed.
Location
The herd is present on, and confined to Antelope IslandAntelope Island
Antelope Island, with an area of , is the largest island of 10 islands located within the Great Salt Lake, Utah, United States. The island lies in the southeastern portion of the lake, near Salt Lake City and Davis County, and becomes a peninsula when the lake is at extremely low levels. Antelope...
in the Great Salt Lake
Great Salt Lake
The Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah, is the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere, the fourth-largest terminal lake in the world. In an average year the lake covers an area of around , but the lake's size fluctuates substantially due to its...
.
Follow I-15 to Syracuse
Syracuse, Utah
Syracuse is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States, between the Great Salt Lake and Interstate 15, about north of Salt Lake City. It is part of the Ogden–Clearfield, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area.Syracuse was incorporated on September 3, 1935....
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, 25 miles north of Salt Lake City.
Take the Syracuse
Syracuse, Utah
Syracuse is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States, between the Great Salt Lake and Interstate 15, about north of Salt Lake City. It is part of the Ogden–Clearfield, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area.Syracuse was incorporated on September 3, 1935....
exit of I-15 (Exit 332) and go straight west 7 miles on Utah State Road 108 (Antelope Drive) to the Antelope Island State Park fee booth (at the beginning of the causeway).
Continue straight along the causeway 6 miles to the island then take the left fork of the road, turning towards the south.
Bison may occur almost anywhere on the island, including the northern end near the causeway, but most of them tend to congregate around the southeast area near the Fielding Garr Ranch
Fielding Garr Ranch
The Fielding Garr Ranch is a ranch located on the southeastern portion of Antelope Island State Park in the Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA and is part of the Utah State Parks system....
.
Once on the island, to head south towards major buffalo areas, in less than a half mile from the causeway, turn left a second time and travel south along this road about 11 miles to the ranch.
There is a gate that controls the southern portion of the road. This gate and the ranch opens at 9:00 AM and closes at 6:00 PM during the summer and 5 PM during the winter. Bison may occur on both sides of the gate, but the largest herding areas are generally south of the gate.
History
The American BisonAmerican Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
once numbered in the millions, perhaps between 25 million and 60 million by some estimates, and they were possibly the most numerous large land animal on earth. However, they were hunted to near extinction throughout North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
by the late 1880s.
Bison may once have occurred on Antelope Island
Antelope Island
Antelope Island, with an area of , is the largest island of 10 islands located within the Great Salt Lake, Utah, United States. The island lies in the southeastern portion of the lake, near Salt Lake City and Davis County, and becomes a peninsula when the lake is at extremely low levels. Antelope...
but if so they never seemed to have established a permanent population. At the time of the arrival of early European explorers and pioneers, there were no bison on the island. As bison became extinct over much of their range in the late 19th century a small population was taken to Antelope island and introduced. "Twelve bison, 4 bulls (males), 4 cows (females) and 4 calves were taken by boat to the island on February 15, 1893 by William Glassman and John Dooly." These twelve animals apparently came originally from a small private herd in Texas and became the foundation for what has grown into the Antelope Island Bison Herd as the bison increased quickly in numbers and by the early 20th century, several hundred of them were present on the island. The bison herd was managed from the Fielding Garr Ranch
Fielding Garr Ranch
The Fielding Garr Ranch is a ranch located on the southeastern portion of Antelope Island State Park in the Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA and is part of the Utah State Parks system....
on the south end of the island and even today the bison in the herd tend to congregate in that area.
One of the early silent movies of the 20th Century "The Covered Wagon
The Covered Wagon
The Covered Wagon is an American silent Western film released by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by James Cruze based on a novel by Emerson Hough about a group of pioneers traveling through the old West from Kansas to Oregon. J...
" was partly filmed on Antelope Island where a scene requiring a "Buffalo Hunt" and a "Buffalo Stampede" were needed. At the time the bison herd on Antelope Island was possibly the largest herd of bison left in the United States. After much effort about 350 of the animals were herded into a stampede and the stampede was caught on this early film. The movie is considered by some people to be the first great 'Western Epic' and it established some of the cliches that persist in 'Western' movies, such as circling the wagons in time of danger or attacks. During the movie, seven buffalo were shot and killed for the hunting scenes. "Don't grow sentimental over the seven," said James Cruze, the Director of the film. "The folks out there would like to get rid of the whole herd and they would, but for the sentimental hubbub that is always raised when they talk of rounding out the buffalo. The animals are worthless - there isn't worse meat on earth to eat- and they ruin the whole territory for cattle grazing purposes. So the buffalo remain - sentimental reminders of the America of the past."
It seems that profit was the principal motive for Mr. Dooly to establish the 'Buffalo Herd' on Antelope Island. By the 1890s the American Bison
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
was extinct over most of its former range and was becoming quite rare. Apparently John Dooly felt that he could ranch the 'buffaloes' and charge people money to hunt them. When keeping the bison for hunting proved economically unfeasible, attempts to ranch them on Antelope Island were terminated.
Bison hunting started on the island in 1896 and continued as a frequent activity until 1926 when the "Big Buffalo Hunt" eliminated all but a few of the bison. Thereafter, public sentiment changed during the 1920s and activists began to call for the protection of the herd on Antelope Island
Antelope Island
Antelope Island, with an area of , is the largest island of 10 islands located within the Great Salt Lake, Utah, United States. The island lies in the southeastern portion of the lake, near Salt Lake City and Davis County, and becomes a peninsula when the lake is at extremely low levels. Antelope...
. Though small scale hunting of the bison continues to this day.
In 1926 a final, large hunt was arranged and the buffalo on the island were hunted and most of them destroyed in one great slaughter. The hunt of 1926 was covered by Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
. A herd of approximately 300-400 Bison was culled to about 50 by a large group of hunters on horseback with modern rifles. John Dooly had sold the herd to A. H. Leonard in 1924. Leonard intended to sell the Bison to zoos, but was not able to corral them. He next tried to offer the island and the bison to the United States Department of the Interior. Leonard had hoped that a national park would be established on the island therefore preserving the herd. Time Magazine cites "Congressional apathy" for the lack of a land transfer. Leonard was one again forced to change his business plan. This time he wanted to expand the cattle ranching on the island and to do this the number of bison needed to be reduced. Leonard announced that a hunt would be held in the fall of 1926. The hunt took place in November, but not without protests from around the nation. The New York World
New York World
The New York World was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers...
and other newspapers of the day tried to arouse public sentiment against the hunt. Utah governor George Dern
George Dern
George Henry Dern was an American politician, mining man, and businessman. He is probably best remembered for co-inventing the Holt–Dern ore roasting process, as well as for his tenure as United States Secretary of War from 1933 to his death in 1936. He also served as the sixth Governor of Utah...
received formal protests of the hunt from the American Humane Society
Humane Society
A humane society may be a group that aims to stop human or animal suffering due to cruelty or other reasons, although in many countries, it is now used mostly for societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
governor Alvan T. Fuller
Alvan T. Fuller
Alvan Tufts Fuller was a United States Representative from Massachusetts. He became one of the wealthiest men in America, with an automobile dealership which in 1920 was recognized as "the world's most successful auto dealership." He was elected a member of the Massachusetts House of...
and Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
mayor Malcolm Nichols
Malcolm Nichols
Malcolm E. Nichols was a Journalist and a U.S. political figure. Nichols served as the mayor of Boston in the late 1920s as well as the last Republican to serve in that post to date.-Family life:...
. Governor Dern declined to prevent the hunt stating, "Antelope Island and the buffalo herd are privately owned." The hunt took place with noted participants Ralph and Edward Ammerman of Scranton
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and big game hunter J. O. Beebe of Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
.
The remnant bison population that escaped the hunt was mostly left alone, after the slaughter, and it began to increase again. The Antelope Island Bison Herd and the island remained in private hands until 1969 when the northern 2000 acres (809.4 ha) of the island were purchased by the state of Utah. Eventually, in 1981, the State of Utah purchased the Fielding Garr Ranch
Fielding Garr Ranch
The Fielding Garr Ranch is a ranch located on the southeastern portion of Antelope Island State Park in the Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA and is part of the Utah State Parks system....
and the rest of the island, including ownership of the herd which was once again numbering hundreds of individuals. Since that time, hunting has been restricted to only a few individuals per year, and the bison have been carefully managed and monitored for health and absence of disease.
Every year, in late October, all the bison on the island are herded towards a central area in a 'Great Buffalo Roundup' and sent briefly into pens where they are examined, weighed and vaccinated and decisions are made on culling
Culling
Culling is the process of removing animals from a group based on specific criteria. This is done either to reinforce certain desirable characteristics or to remove certain undesirable characteristics from the group...
and selecting breeding stock. The majority of the bison are then turned loose within a few days, and are allowed to roam free on the island the rest of the year. The Antelope Island Bison Herd fluctuates between 550 and 700, and is one of the largest publicly owned bison herds in the nation. The reason for the variability of the size of the herd is that the bison produce approximately 150 to 200 calves every year, and since this is prime 'prairie' habitat for bison, with no significant predators, the herd can increase by up to 1/4 every year. It is currently felt that 700 is near the maximum preferred carrying capacity for bison on the island, so the excess bison need to be culled and removed. Bison from this island are often sent to other herd locations around North America because of their genetic isolation, some unique genetic markers contained in the population, and because of their disease free condition. Some bison are also purchased at the pen site in a yearly public auction, and are taken as meat or breeding stock for commercial 'buffalo' farms in other parts of the world.
"Though some resent the notion of corralling a wild beast like the bison for what amounts to a physical, most understand that the state means to protect the herd."
Ecology
Antelope IslandAntelope Island
Antelope Island, with an area of , is the largest island of 10 islands located within the Great Salt Lake, Utah, United States. The island lies in the southeastern portion of the lake, near Salt Lake City and Davis County, and becomes a peninsula when the lake is at extremely low levels. Antelope...
has large areas of dry grass prairie and this provides a nearly optimum environment for American Bison
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
. In addition, lack of disease, lack of competition and lack of predation allows the herd to increase in an almost unrestricted manner, so culling
Culling
Culling is the process of removing animals from a group based on specific criteria. This is done either to reinforce certain desirable characteristics or to remove certain undesirable characteristics from the group...
and removal of excess individuals is necessary. The State of Utah performs this task every year in late October during the Antelope Island Buffalo Roundup. Then there is an additional small hunt of 5 or 6 individuals that occurs in December.
If there were significant Apex predator
Apex predator
Apex predators are predators that have no predators of their own, residing at the top of their food chain. Zoologists define predation as the killing and consumption of another organism...
s for the herd on Antelope Island, then yearly culling
Culling
Culling is the process of removing animals from a group based on specific criteria. This is done either to reinforce certain desirable characteristics or to remove certain undesirable characteristics from the group...
of the herd would not be necessary. However, there are no significant predators. Bison are large herd animals that defend their young vigorously. Other mammals found on the island include Coyotes, Bobcats, Mule Deer
Mule Deer
The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...
(estimated to number 250), Pronghorn Antelope (approximately 200 on the island), and Bighorn Sheep
Bighorn Sheep
The bighorn sheep is a species of sheep in North America named for its large horns. These horns can weigh up to , while the sheep themselves weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates that there are three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: Ovis canadensis sierrae...
(estimated 200). The Coyotes and Bobcats are far too small to establish significant predation on bison, even bison calves, and the other large mammals such as Mule Deer, Pronghorn Antelope and Big Horn Sheep are too small to successfully compete enough to displace the bison herds or otherwise restrict bison range and feeding. Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles and various large hawks and falcons are also found on Antelope Island, but likewise are incapable of predating large animals such as bison. Only wolves or bears would be likely to function successfully as apex predators of bison, but Antelope Island is considered to be unsuitable to them. Besides being very close to a major population center, the Wasatch Front
Wasatch Front
The Wasatch Front is a metropolitan region in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Utah. It consists of a chain of cities and towns stretched along the Wasatch Range from approximately Santaquin in the south to Brigham City in the north...
including Salt Lake City, Antelope Island
Antelope Island
Antelope Island, with an area of , is the largest island of 10 islands located within the Great Salt Lake, Utah, United States. The island lies in the southeastern portion of the lake, near Salt Lake City and Davis County, and becomes a peninsula when the lake is at extremely low levels. Antelope...
at 42 square miles (26,000 acres) could perhaps support a small population of these predators, but would not be likely to support a large enough population of predators to maintain genetic diversity and viability.
Genetics
The Antelope Island Bison Herd was considered to be genetically pure in the past, since there were no known attempts at hybridization between these bison and cattle, but recent genetic studies have called this into question. Officially, the "American Buffalo" is classified by the United States Government as a type of cattle, and the government allows private herds to be managed as such. This is a reflection of the characteristics that bison share with cattle. Though the American BisonAmerican Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
(Species: Bison bison) is not only a separate species, but actually in a separate genus from Domestic cattle (Bos primigenius), they clearly have a lot of genetic compatibility and American Bison can interbreed freely with cattle. Moreover, when they do interbreed, the crossbreeds tend to look very much like purebred Bison, so appearance is completely unreliable as a means of determining what is a purebred bison and what is a crossbred cow. Many ranchers have deliberately cross bred their cattle with bison, and it would also be expected that there could be some natural hybridization in areas where cattle and bison occur in the same range. Since cattle and bison eat similar food and tolerate similar conditions, they have often been in the same range together in the past, and opportunity for cross breeding may sometimes have been common.
In recent decades tests were developed to determine the source of mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondria, structures within eukaryotic cells that convert the chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, adenosine triphosphate...
in cattle and bison, and it was found that most private 'buffalo' herds were actually cross bred with cattle, and even most state and federal buffalo herds had some cattle DNA. With the advent of nuclear microsatellite DNA testing, the number of herds identified as containing cattle genes has increased. Though approximately 500,000 bison exist on private ranches and in public herds, some people estimate that perhaps only 15,000 to 25,000 of these bison are pure and are not actually bison-cattle hybrids. "DNA from domestic cattle (Bos taurus) has been detected in nearly all bison herds examined to date."
A landmark study of bison genetics that was performed by James Derr of the Texas A&M University corroborated this. The Derr study was undertaken in an attempt to determine what genetic problems bison might face as they repopulate former areas, and it noted that bison seem to be doing quite well, despite their apparent genetic bottleneck. One possible explanation for this might be the small amount of domestic cattle genes that are now in most bison populations, though this isn't the only possible explanation for bison success.
In the study cattle genes were also found in small amounts throughout most herds. "The hybridization experiments conducted by some of the owners of the five foundation herds of the late 1800s, have left a legacy of a small amount of cattle genetics in many of our existing bison herds." He also said, "All of the state owned bison herds tested (except for possibly one) contain animals with domestic cattle mtDNA." It appears that the one state herd that had no cattle genes was the Henry Mountains Bison Herd
Henry Mountains Bison Herd
The Henry Mountains Bison Herd, numbering 250 to 400 bison, is believed to be one of only four free roaming and genetically pure herds on public lands in North America...
in the Henry Mountains
Henry Mountains
The Henry Mountains are located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Utah and run in a generally north-south direction, extending over a distance of about 30 miles . They were named by John Wesley Powell in honour of Joseph Henry, the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. The...
of Utah. It was originally founded with bison from the Yellowstone Park Bison Herd
Yellowstone Park Bison Herd
The Yellowstone Park bison herd in Yellowstone National Park is probably the oldest and largest public bison herd in the United States of America. Yellowstone is known for its geothermal activity and large mammals, especially Elk, Wolves, American Bison, Bears, Pronghorn Antelope, Moose and Bighorn...
. However, the extension of this herd into the Book Cliffs
Book Cliffs
The Book Cliffs are a series of mountains and cliffs in western Colorado and eastern Utah, in the western United States. They are so named because many of them have the triangular appearance of a book that has been opened up, then turned on its sides and set to rest on the open sides of the book,...
of Central Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
involved mixing the founders with additional bison from another source, so it is not known if the Book Cliff extension of the herd is also free of cattle hybridization.
So, are the bison on Antelope Island actually Bison-Cattle hybrids? Quite possibly. However, if this is the case, the genetic studies seem to show that the number of cattle genes are very small. In the future, it may be discovered that almost all bison have some genetic inheritance from domestic cattle, but this doesn't mean that they aren't bison, especially if the cattle genetic contribution is very small. In some senses, this would be analogous to recent findings that many, if not most wild wolves have some domestic dog genes. An example is a study published in the journal 'Science' that indicate that wolves with black coats have generally inherited that gene as a result of ancient wolf-dog hybridization.
A separate study by Wilson and Strobeck, published in Genome, was done to define the relationships between different herds of bison in the United States and Canada, and to determine whether the bison at Wood Buffalo National Park
Wood Buffalo National Park
Wood Buffalo National Park, located in northeastern Alberta and southern Northwest Territories, is the largest national park in Canada at . The park was established in 1922 to protect the world's largest herd of free roaming Wood Bison, currently estimated at more than 5,000...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the Yellowstone Park Bison Herd
Yellowstone Park Bison Herd
The Yellowstone Park bison herd in Yellowstone National Park is probably the oldest and largest public bison herd in the United States of America. Yellowstone is known for its geothermal activity and large mammals, especially Elk, Wolves, American Bison, Bears, Pronghorn Antelope, Moose and Bighorn...
were possibly separate subspecies, and not Plains Bison. It was determined that the Wood Buffalo Park bison were actually cross breeds between Plains Bison and Wood Bison, but that their predominant genetic makeup was truly that of the expected "Wood Buffalo" (Bison bison athabascae). The Yellowstone Park Bison Herd
Yellowstone Park Bison Herd
The Yellowstone Park bison herd in Yellowstone National Park is probably the oldest and largest public bison herd in the United States of America. Yellowstone is known for its geothermal activity and large mammals, especially Elk, Wolves, American Bison, Bears, Pronghorn Antelope, Moose and Bighorn...
were Plains Bison (Bison bison bison). The bison in the Antelope Island herd appeared to be more distantly related to other Plains Bison than any other Plains Bison group that was tested, though this might be due to genetic drift caused by the small size of only 12 individuals in the founder population. Interestingly, a side finding of this was that the Antelope Island Bison Herd is most closely related to the Wood Buffalo National Park Bison Herd, though the Antelope Island Bison are actually Plains Bison.
Future
There remain various questions and concerns regarding future management of the Antelope Island Bison Herd. The actual Carrying CapacityCarrying capacity
The carrying capacity of a biological species in an environment is the maximum population size of the species that the environment can sustain indefinitely, given the food, habitat, water and other necessities available in the environment...
of Antelope Island for Bison is not known. Currently it is estimated that perhaps 700 individual bison could live on the island without significantly degrading the environment or adversely affecting other species. In addition, decisions still need to be made regarding the future breeding and genetic maintenance of bison on the island. There also remain public concerns about the need for and the nature of the bison hunting that is still allowed in the herd, and some groups are working to change this policy. Another question is how to merge the management of the Antelope Island Bison Herd into the gradually developing national strategy to return wild bison to more of their previous historical range.
There continues to be some public controversy over both the culling
Culling
Culling is the process of removing animals from a group based on specific criteria. This is done either to reinforce certain desirable characteristics or to remove certain undesirable characteristics from the group...
and hunting of the Antelope Island Bison Herd. Some groups have proposed that all culling
Culling
Culling is the process of removing animals from a group based on specific criteria. This is done either to reinforce certain desirable characteristics or to remove certain undesirable characteristics from the group...
and hunting must stop, sales of bison at the annual auction must stop, and that the bison should be moved off the island to a natural habitat where they could live without interference. Unfortunately, most wildlife managers feel this is currently unfeasible. First, if culling
Culling
Culling is the process of removing animals from a group based on specific criteria. This is done either to reinforce certain desirable characteristics or to remove certain undesirable characteristics from the group...
did stop while they are still on the island, they would soon overpopulate the island, causing ecological damage and would then undergo a catastrophic population crash from disease and starvation. Second, if there were large tracts of open range and natural habitat available at this time for these bison, then such habitat would probably either already have bison introduced to it, or be in the process of being evaluated and prepared for bison introduction. Currently, some state and national parks have habitat for bison, but most of these already have bison present. In addition, if moving the Antelope Island Bison Herd were an option, great care would still need to be taken to maintain their genetic diversity, to ensure that valuable genes are not irrevocably lost, so just 'leaving them alone' is not an ecologically sound option. Most specialists in Population Biology
Population biology
Population biology is a study of populations of organisms, especially the regulation of population size, life history traits such as clutch size, and extinction...
feel it is not generally desirable to merge significant numbers of transplanted individuals with a large, already existing herd or population, such as the Yellowstone Park Bison Herd
Yellowstone Park Bison Herd
The Yellowstone Park bison herd in Yellowstone National Park is probably the oldest and largest public bison herd in the United States of America. Yellowstone is known for its geothermal activity and large mammals, especially Elk, Wolves, American Bison, Bears, Pronghorn Antelope, Moose and Bighorn...
since those herds are probably already at or near their Carrying Capacity
Carrying capacity
The carrying capacity of a biological species in an environment is the maximum population size of the species that the environment can sustain indefinitely, given the food, habitat, water and other necessities available in the environment...
. Therefore, introduction of more animals, from Antelope Island, would only result in the deaths of an equal number of already existent bison, until the herd once again reached an equilibrium. Unfortunately, this is one of the fallacies that occur when many people suppose that just 'moving animals' to a new location is a 'humane' thing to do. Generally, when animals are moved, they end up displacing already existing animals, since the 'range' is generally already at or close to its carrying capacity
Carrying capacity
The carrying capacity of a biological species in an environment is the maximum population size of the species that the environment can sustain indefinitely, given the food, habitat, water and other necessities available in the environment...
and the result often is that one or both animals die as the carrying capacity is exceeded. Lastly, merging the Antelope island bison with another herd could potentially cause introduction of domestic cattle genes, which appear to be carried by many bison, into herds where such genes are not currently present.
In the end, as a public resource, the desires of the public will determine the ultimate management and fate of the Antelope Island Bison Herd. But for now, as part of the Utah State Parks system it is expected that the animals will remain on the island, and visitors will continue to be able to observe them.
See also
- Antelope IslandAntelope IslandAntelope Island, with an area of , is the largest island of 10 islands located within the Great Salt Lake, Utah, United States. The island lies in the southeastern portion of the lake, near Salt Lake City and Davis County, and becomes a peninsula when the lake is at extremely low levels. Antelope...
- Antelope Island State ParkAntelope Island State ParkAntelope Island State Park is a Utah state park on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake. The park is in Davis County, Utah in the United States. It is open for year-round recreation and features an abundant wildlife population, including one of the largest free roaming herds of American Bison in...
- Fielding Garr RanchFielding Garr RanchThe Fielding Garr Ranch is a ranch located on the southeastern portion of Antelope Island State Park in the Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA and is part of the Utah State Parks system....
- American BisonAmerican BisonThe American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
- Henry Mountains Bison HerdHenry Mountains Bison HerdThe Henry Mountains Bison Herd, numbering 250 to 400 bison, is believed to be one of only four free roaming and genetically pure herds on public lands in North America...
- Yellowstone Park Bison HerdYellowstone Park Bison HerdThe Yellowstone Park bison herd in Yellowstone National Park is probably the oldest and largest public bison herd in the United States of America. Yellowstone is known for its geothermal activity and large mammals, especially Elk, Wolves, American Bison, Bears, Pronghorn Antelope, Moose and Bighorn...
- Wind Cave Bison HerdWind Cave Bison HerdThe Wind Cave bison herd is a herd of 250–400 American Bison in Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, USA. It is believed to be one of only four free roaming and genetically pure herds on public lands in North America. The other three herds are the Yellowstone Park bison herd, the Henry Mountains...
External links
- Antelope Island State Park
- W. Adolph Yonkee, et. al., ROAD AND TRAIL LOGS OF ANTELOPE ISLAND STATE PARK, DAVIS COUNTY, UTAH, in Geologic Road, Trail, and Lake Guides to Utah's Parks and Monuments 2000 Utah Geological Association Publication 29
- Photos of Antelope Island State Park
- Antelope Island Field Trip Home Page Weber State University Department of Botany
- Antelope Island Bike Trail Utah.com
- Canyon Country Hiking and Camping Notebook: Antelope Island State Park