TGP Bison Roundup 2000
Created | Updated Sep 4, 2002
Every October on the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve (TGP) scientists conduct a census of the bison population, administer veterinary treatments and record the health of each animal. Culling the herd of low-vigour, aged animals, and some calves simulates predation and maintains herd size at optimum numbers for the amount of land available at the TGP.
- Calves born in 2000: 299 head of which there were 148 females, 146 males, and 5 of undetermined sex.
- Red Calves1: unreported.
- Calving Rate2: 67-percent.
- Bison at Roundup3: 1,220 head.
- Known Absentees: 2.
- Number sold: 62 head.
- Number Purchased4: 56 from Maxwell Wildlife Refuge, Kansas; Cross Ranch Preserve, South Dakota; and Konza Prairie, Kansas.
- Over-wintering Herd Size: 1,204 head.
- Expected Spring 2001 Calves: unreported.
- Bison Pasture Annual Acreage: unreported.
- Maximum Weight: 1,616 pounds - 1994 born bull.
- Minimum Weight: 86 pounds calf.
Acknowledgements
Facts and figures for this article are drawn from information distributed to docents of the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve by the The Nature Conservancy for dissemination to the public.
1Red Calves: 1 to 2 months old at roundup.2Calving Rate = Number of calves at roundup divided by the number of females of calving age.3Number of bison worked through the corral.4Funded by Adopt-A-Bison.
