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Tag: bison

  • Yellowstone Bison Stampede: Could Volcano Be Active?

    Many are suspecting the worse when recalling that animals are often said to have a kind of sixth sense for disaster. They flee when something is about to occur.

    With the recent 4.8 magnitude earthquake in the vicinity of the super volcano in Yellowstone National Park, many have been on edge about a possible eruption of one of the biggest volcanoes on our planet.

    Others are wondering if the Bison are trying to tell us something.

    A visitor to Yellowstone National Park caught a stampede on camera, and now it has people wondering: Is the Yellowstone caldera is about to blow?

    If it were to erupt, the effects would be disastrous.

    According to Yellowstone spokesman Dan Hottle, “Those bison are running because that’s what they do every day in Yellowstone.”

    And Al Nash, another spokesman for Yellowstone National Park, said: “We have heard about some pretty wild rumors – including one concerning the animals.

    “We do have bison, elk and other animals that have moved outside the park recently, but they’re doing that because we’re in the depths of winter and food is a little hard to find in places.

    “At this time of year, they tend to migrate to lower elevations where they think there might be something to eat that’s easier to get at. When the snow melts off and things start to green up, those very same animals will walk right back into the park.”

    According to the US Geological Service (USGS), there has been an uplift in earthquake activity around Yellowstone’s caldera.

    The super volcano last erupted 70,000 years ago and another one is likely to deposit huge quantities of ash across much of the country.

    Nash said there were “no signs” tectonic activity was about to cause Yellowstone’s volcano to erupt.

    “We see between 1,000 and 3,000 earthquakes a year in Yellowstone and most of them are so small no one ever feels them,” he said.

    Adding, “we’ve had this recent earthquake near the Norris geyser basin, but there were no injuries or damage and … it’s just part of the geology of Yellowstone.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Grand Canyon Bison Are Out Of Control

    The Grand Canyon is being taken over by bison that park officials say are causing damage and unsanitary conditions. A large herd of 400 bison currently graze within the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park. This herd is actually made up of hybrids. Cattle and buffalo have been crossbred to create beefalo or cattalo.

    The bison were introduced to northern Arizona in the early 1900s and those that currently live outside the Grand Canyon National Park are maintained by the state of Arizona. In the past a few of the bison would occasionally wander into the park, but now the entire herd is attempting to make their home there.

    Although the bison are docile, they are extremely hard on the park and are polluting the waters with their waste, trampling plants and vegetation and destroying other areas of the park. The bison have gotten so out of control that Federal and state officials are trying to find ways to control them and remove them from the park.

    If the bison population continues to grow, the park could be overrun with the animals. Relocating them to a location where they could be hunted would help control the population and protect the park from damage.

    Several public meetings have been planned to discuss the possible options for relocating the animals and controlling the population. Birth control has not proven effective at preventing the animals from reproducing so rapidly and officials are hoping that the public may have some better ideas.

    Officials from the National Park Service, Arizona Game and Fish Department and U.S. Forest Service are hoping to create a plan soon and to start relocating the bison and controlling the population by 2016.

    What do you think is the best way to control the bison population and prevent the animals from damaging the Grand Canyon National Park?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Grand Canyon Bison Wreaking Havoc

    How do you manage a herd of about 400 bison? That’s what the National Park Service is trying to figure out.

    This massive gang of beefalo – a hybrid of cattle and buffalo – is taking over the northern reaches of the Grand Canyon. The concern is that they are causing destruction and unsanitary conditions.

    Along with trampling vegetation and grazing on pristine meadows, the bison have actually caused some serious damage and major causes for concern. The animals defecate in lakes polluting water sources, have trampled into Mexican spotted owl territory, have turned lush meadows into nubs, and even knocked over walls at American Indian cliff dwellings below the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

    Federal and state officials have announced three public meetings in which residents of the area are invited to share their ideas on how to manage the huge animals. The meetings are scheduled for April 28 in Kanab, April 29 in Flagstaff, and April 30 in Phoenix. Online meetings are also set to take place.

    What you could expect to see at the Grand Canyon:

    The population of the hybrids has dramatically increased because they moved to an area in which hunting is illegal. The Arizona Game and Fish department was able to keep the pack down to about 100. With the herd moving over to the Grand Canyon, however, things changed because hunting is prohibited at the national park. Now the group has more than tripled.

    Officials at Yellowstone National Park are also revisiting the current bison management plan. Although herds have inhabited the area since prehistoric times, there is concern about disease transmission from the bison to Montana livestock.

    Expected proposed methods to manage the livestock include baiting, hazing, fencing, relocating the bison, and shooting them. Officials state that birth control has not proved to be an effective method in the past.

    Image via YouTube