Discussion: Too Many Bison In Yellowstone National Park

Above, a herd of Yellowstone bison grazing on a riverside meadow. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One of the things visitors to Yellowstone National Park enjoy seeing are the herds of North American Bison. Bison traffic jams in the park are legendary.

The only problem with the bison is that officials say there's too many of them.

Scott Simon discusses this with Tony Heinert, executive director of the InterTribal Buffalo Council on NPR.

The discussion begins with:

Yellowstone's bison population is booming and will be culled. Scott Simon talks to Troy Heinert, executive director of the InterTribal Buffalo Council, about how tribes are involved.

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

More than 5,000 bison roam Yellowstone National Park. That's too many, according to the National Park Service. Nine hundred of these bison will be culled - hunted or caught and slaughtered. A small number will be relocated this winter as part of an agreement reached by wildlife officials and tribal entities. Troy Heinert is executive director of the InterTribal Buffalo Council, also a member of the Rosebud Sioux Nation, and joins us now from Nevada. Thanks so much for being with us.

To read the full discussion transcript, go here.