Grand Canyon lottery to kill bison gathers 45,000 entries.

[Waqas Malik]

The Grand Canyon's North Rim, where the bison live, features some very rugged terrain.

Over 45,000 people have applied to cull bison in the Grand Canyon after the US National Park Service (NPS) requested volunteers to help with overpopulation.
The famed national park in Arizona is seeking 12 "skilled volunteers" to reduce the herd, which has grown large enough to cause environmental damage.
The event is not being classified as a "hunt", as hunting is forbidden in US national parks.
Some environmentalists have warned the move could set a dangerous precedent.
The lottery opened on Monday and closed after 48 hours with 45,040 applicants.
An initial 25 names will be selected. After being vetted by park officials for skills including marksmanship, 12 people will be given the opportunity to kill a bison in the park's North Rim area.

Volunteers are permitted to bring a support crew along, according to the NPS rules. Bison can weigh over 2,000lbs (900kg), but the sharp-shooters must carry out any meat on foot without the help of motorised transport or pack animals.

A bison crosses the road in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming
The event will take place in rugged, rocky and sometimes snowy terrain, with elevations exceeding 8,000ft (2,440m).


Officials say the pilot programme is required after the herd rapidly grew to 600 bison in recent years. The NPS hopes to bring the herd residing on the North Rim down to about 200 in order to reduce trampling of Native American archaeological sites, soil erosion and water contamination.
Before being hunted to near extinction in the 19th Century, bison (which are also known in the US as buffalo) roamed across much of the continent. An estimated 30 to 60 million bison were reduced to only about 400 by the late 1800s.
But environmentalists say there is little evidence that the Grand Canyon was ever part of their historic range.
According to historians, the North Rim herd was introduced to the area after a frontiersman's failed attempt to interbreed bison with cattle in the early 1900s.

 

[Hadeeqa Khan]

Ironic given the environmental damage humans do!! Let the Bison live in peace.

 

[Abdul Hadi]

Better to shift them at proper place..... here in India in West part we have hundreds of leopards encroaching in city area, picking castles and attacking humans.... the cats have no sufficient food left in their range....better shift them India, Mumbai in ship, we will send the bisons in huge and vast jungles nearby..... don't kill them....

 

[Junaid zaid]

Too many for such a small park. They are trying to keep a good ecosystem but there’s too many Bisons.
It’s normal to have this to control the numbers of animals in the park.
Btw, this is only specific to one park and not the entire USA bison population!

 

[Rida Qayyum]

interesting. while the benefits of “culling the herd” can be defended.
I seriously thought bison were an endangered species.

 

[sultan shah]

Wow almost 3 million that will go into habitat and nature protection

 

[Wareesha Fatima]

What a great hunt! I would love to do this. The meat is amazing!

 

[Mustafa Rehman]

Some of these bison are overgrown, old, aggressive, and no longer fertile. They attack and kill young bison who can STILL breed and increase the population. Sometimes human intervention is needed.

 

[Sana Bashir]

This is necessary from time to time. Wish them a happy hunt. Bison is delicious.

 

[Sana Bashir]

The event is not being called " hunt " So that means your are justifying killing of animals through different words ... Really weird

 

[Zain-ul-Abdin]

Native American hunters should be the only people allowed on this hunt. If the meat is consumable* it should go to them and the same for the hides.
* I should have elaborated. When canned hunts are planned to cull herds unfortunately the overpopulation often leads to bacterial and parasitic infestation within the flesh of the animal rendering the meat unsuitable for eating.