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 300-500 of these animals. Other large wildlife found on the Range include elk, white-tail and mule deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep and black bear.[1]

History

President Theodore Roosevelt established The National Bison Range in 1908 for the conservation of bison.[2][3] The original herd was released into the park in 1909 after being purchased by the American Bison Society and subsequently donated to the refuge.[2][4] It consisted of 40 bison. Thirty-four were bought from the Conrad Herd, two were donated by Alicia Conrad, one was received from Charles Goodnight in Texas, and three were received from the Corbin Herd.[2]

Population

The Population consists of 300-500 individuals. During a 2014 round-up 360 bison were counted, including 82 calves. Excess bison are either sold or donated as breeding stock and to contribute to other gene pools.[3]

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Park Service.

References

  1. ↑ "National Bison Range". Lake County Directory. Lake County. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "About the Refuge - National Bison Range - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service". www.fws.gov. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
  3. 1 2 Features, Recent Features|. "At Home on the Range". Flathead Living. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
  4. ↑ Reffalt, William. "Origins of Founding Bison at the National Bison at Range, MT" (PDF). Blue Goose Alliance. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
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