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Utah is home to one of the nation’s largest and oldest public bison herds

Posted at 2:49 PM, Oct 24, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-24 16:49:25-04

The Antelope Island Bison Roundup is held every year at the Antelope Island State Park.

The roundup of more than 700 Great American Bison is the primary tool utilized to help ensure the continued health of one of the nation's largest and oldest public bison herds.

You are invited to visit and experience it first hand.

There are two phases to the Bison Roundup.  The first one takes place on Saturday, October 27, 2018.  That's where horse riders round up and push the bison into small herds.  The riders then drive them bison into a holding corral where they rest for five days.  This lets the animals relax, and reduces their stress level.  And, that makes them more cooperative during the second phase.

The second phase begins a week after the roundup, November 1-3, 2018.  In this phase the bison are sorted and separated one at a time to receive their vaccinations.  They also receive individual health screenings and are given a small external computer chip, which serves as a permanent ID that stores their health information.  At that point the bison are either released back onto the island or kept in the corral where they are later sold in a public auction.

To learn more about the roundup, please visit: stateparks.utah.gov.