Blog

Mar 23

Bison Conservation and Transfer Program Expands, Hits Milestone

The Yellowstone Bison Conservation and Transfer Program aims to rehome Yellowstone-origin bison to Native American Tribes. Thanks to your support, the bison holding facility expansion was completed last year. This expansion means the facility can now hold up to 250 animals annually and support the transfer of more than 100 bison to Tribes each year.

In January, the National Park Service (NPS) in collaboration with the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Fort Peck Indian Reservation completed the transfer of 112 Yellowstone bison to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Poplar, Montana. The movement of these animals is the single largest transfer since the program began in 2019. It is also the first family group of Yellowstone bison transferred by the NPS. Since the program’s inception, 294 bison have been rehomed to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.


The program has also led to the largest relocation of live Yellowstone bison to Native American Tribes in history. The Fort Peck Tribes worked with the InterTribal Buffalo Council to distribute 170 of the bison they received from the NPS to 23 other Tribes. This program is truly returning Yellowstone bison to Tribal Nations.

This is just the beginning! Your donations are hard at work in the field. With the new expanded facility, the park will be able to bring more bison into the program and transfer more family groups. Yellowstone Forever is committed to providing ongoing support to the Bison Program for conservation, animal husbandry, disease testing, education and outreach. Thank you for your continued support.

To learn more visit:

Yellowstone.org/bison-conservation