Posted on 06/08/2021 11:06:20 AM PDT by SJackson
Fourteen American bison headed to their new homes on native land this month. Indigenous tribes received the bison from Denver Parks and Recreation as a form of reparations, the first gift in a 10-year ordinance to donate surplus bison that will also go toward tribal conservation efforts.
The bison came from the department's two conservation herds that descended from a handful of historic Yellowstone bison. Denver typically auctions off its surplus bison to avoid overgrazing, but there was still an excess after this year's auction in March.
"We just decided we couldn't have another auction," says Scott Gilmore, DPR's deputy executive director. "We could have, but that wasn't something we really wanted to do."
Instead, the city decided to return bison to their native habitats — the culmination of what Gilmore says involved 10 years of talks and trust-building with tribal partners who have long advocated for bison restoration.
"It just really made a lot of sense to possibly look and see how we could work with other tribes to maybe donate bison to the establishment of these herds that are starting all over the place," he says.
Thirteen bison went to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes in Oklahoma and one went to the Tall Bull Memorial Council in Colorado. All 14 were adult females.
"Probably half of the bison that we donated were pregnant," Gilmore says. "So, not only did the Cheyenne Arapaho tribe in Oklahoma get 13 bison, they will have, six or seven calves, probably in the next three or four weeks."
These days there are lots of commercial bison operations. Wouldn't surprise me if some of these tribes sell the animals and pocket the profit.
How about for all the treaty obligations the US government failed to fulfill because of graft and corruption in the BIA?
was it with proviso they don’t drive them off a cliff?
Denver has a herd of Bison located on either side of I-70 about 20 miles west of the downtown State Capital. They are cool to see on the way to Genesee and Evergreen.
A good solution. But they didn’t need to call it reparations.
“The meat he sells is very good.”
Where do you get it?
Nice gesture but how much actual money did they send along with the herd? In all my dealings with various tribes every negotiation came down to how much money they were going to get on top of all the other stuff that was conceded.
Be careful what you wish for. Bison are dangerous and unpredictable. It takes a monster fence to keep them enclosed. They can jump a six-foot fence without a running start. Many people who have bought them have regretted it. They are not the docile, grazing animals you think they are.
Lacking any way to actually do good, Denver virtue signals with animal surrogates
FWIW, lots of folks here in the NEK have buffalo. The beasts don't mind the bitter cold; they seem to thrive.
I can’t remember the name of his company but I’ll see if I can get it.
Thanks.
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