Yellowstone Sends 600 Bison to 29 Tribes as 2026 Transfers Top 200
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 21
Yellowstone Sends 600 Bison to 29 Tribes as 2026 Transfers Top 200
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 21
Summary
More than 200 Yellowstone bison were transferred to Tribal lands in 2026, part of a conservation program that has moved over 600 animals to 29 tribes across 13 states since 2019.
Jessica Bowron, the acting National Park Service director, said the transfers reflect Yellowstone’s rebound from near-extinction a century ago to a herd large enough to seed new conservation herds elsewhere.
The Bison Conservation Transfer Program relocates live animals after quarantine, and Bowron said tribes then manage the herds under their own priorities and sovereignty.
At Yellowstone, she said the challenge has shifted from saving bison to managing a thriving herd that moves beyond park boundaries and requires coordination with Tribal, state, local and federal partners.
With thousands of bison now thriving, what hidden ecological impacts are these massive ecosystem engineers bringing to tribal lands outside Yellowstone?
Despite zero documented cases of disease transmission, why do historical agricultural fears still threaten the expansion of America's greatest conservation success?