I spent the morning processing
breeding bulls - touching up lost ear tags and taking DNA samples for the lab.
Why DNA test?
As
stewards of these magnificent animals, it is
our duty to keep bison pure by working with the best available science. To
purposely crossbreed bison with cattle is a wanton pollution of this amazing
creation. We strive to identify any past human errors and responsibly limit, or
even eradicate them.
Bison (often commonly referred to as buffalo)
underwent a period where some of the remnant population (as little as 500 head
from a herd of perhaps 60 million) were purposely crossbred with cattle with
the intent to create an animal that would better fit the environment than their
weaker, less-adapted bovine cousins.
These well-meaning folks had little or no idea of the ramifications of
such efforts. If they had, I suspect
many would have not attempted it as they were the very same persons who
actually saved the animal from extinction.
On their own. With no government funding. With no profit in mind. They
acted with a genuine desire to save what could have been lost forever, as
evidenced by their continued care well after their crossbreeding efforts proved
fruitless.
While
the science is certainly not finished regarding bison DNA it has advanced to
the point where we have made the decision to begin strategic sampling of our
herd to determine if we have any relic cattle genes floating about. After lengthy discussions with scientists at
the forefront of this field, we expect to find little cattle genes due to our
decades long practice of selecting only animals that thrive in a natural
setting with little or no supplemental feed.
Cattle-crossed bison (also know as beefalo or cattalo) are inferior to
pure bison in such a rigorous, natural setting and would naturally be selected
against through our culling process.
We’ve been very, very particular about only selecting breeding animals
that thrive in this natural type setting.
We so believe that, as a by-product of doing what is right for the
specie by mimicking nature in our selection process, we have likely selected
for animals with little or no cattle genes as well.
Time
will tell, as the science is yet advancing.
We are patiently waiting for the latest, most accurate and detailed test
to be unveiled. In the meantime, the DNA
we submit will be stored at Texas A&M for our future use and we will make
it available, as requested, for other scientific work to help preserve the
specie.
Man
can only be judged on his heart, his mind, and his actions. We hold no ill towards the men and women of
the late 1800’s for their actions. On
the contrary, we heartily commend them for the tremendous gift they have given
our family and all of mankind by saving this animal from extinction. The duty
now lays with us to use our hearts, our minds, and our actions to further the
work of preserving and strengthening this awesome creature for many generations
yet to come. It is our time to act. It is our time to step up.
Long
Live King Bison!