Conservancy Ships Bison

Catalina Island Conservancy Keeps Bison Herd Healthy
Ships 150 Bison to the Dakotas

One hundred and fifty of Catalina’s 300 non-native bison on Tuesday, October 21, were shipped from the Island to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in southern North Dakota and northern South Dakota. One hundred and fifty animals remain on the Island.

Ron Brown Otter, a member of the Sioux tribe and owner of a 4,000-acre ranch on the 2.3 million-acre Standing Rock Indian Reservation, will welcome the animals Friday to his ranch where they will live out their years, unharmed.

The last time bison were shipped off of the Island was in December 2004 when 100 head were relocated to the Rosebud Lakota Reservation. Prior to that, the Conservancy did a scientific study, and determined that 150 to 200 bison on Catalina would be optimum both for the ecological health of the Island and the health of the bison. By keeping the herd size between 150 and 200 animals, the bison have a sufficient source of food and stay healthier. 

For more information about the Catalina Island Conservancy go to www.CatalinaConservancy.org. 

The bison were “rounded up” in these pens in Cape Canyon by putting extra food out for the animals. The wood used in the pens construction came from the old steamer pier after it was dismantled in Avalon Harbor.
Photo by Bob Rhein