Bison

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Transcript

There is no audio track since this is b-roll video. For descriptions of the visuals, view the audio described version.

Duration:

1 minute, 36 seconds

Bison are only found on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. They are wild animals and are unpredictable. We recommend maintaining a distance of 100 feet (30 meters) from them, and when they are within 100 feet of the road, it is recommended to view them from inside your vehicle. Please use established gravel or paved pull-outs to park vehicles completely off the roadway (all wheels right of the white line). Do not walk or park in the road. B-roll video by L/Cisneros, July 2022.

 

Destinations of Bison transferred to Native American Tribes from Grand Canyon National Park.

NPS Map/ C. Talley

Management of the Kaibab Plateau Bison Herd
The present day Kaibab Plateau Bison Herd is one of the few unfenced wild herds in the U.S., and as such, wanders across multiple jurisdictions. The herd is co-managed by Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona Game & Fish, and the Kaibab National Forest. To learn more about the Kaibab Plateau Bison Herd visit the Bison at Grand Canyon: Kaibab Plateau Herd Information page.

Herd Reduction to Date (March 2026)

Since reduction efforts began in 2018, park staff have removed 306 bison from the North Rim, with 282 transferred to eight different American Indian tribes through the InterTribal Buffalo Council (see map).

Bison capture and live transfer operations did not occur in 2025 due to the Dragon Bravo Fire. The park is currently evaluating the return of live capture operations to the North Rim in 2026.

If you have any specific questions related to bison management at Grand Canyon, please e-mail us.

 

Duration:

9 minutes, 39 seconds

This video presents an overview of bison management on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. By 2025, the National Park Service will reduce the size of the overpopulated Kaibab Plateau bison herd through live capture and transfer to American Indian Tribes and lethal removal with Skilled Volunteers. Grand Canyon National Park is reducing the size to under 200 in order to protect park resources—including vegetation, water, and sacred archeologic sites—from the impacts of the bison.

Learn more:

 

Kaibab Plateau Herd in Grand Canyon

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  Kaibab Plateau Bison Herd Info

  Find out more about the Kaibab Plateau Bison herd on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.

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  Effects of Bison on the North Rim

  Research and monitoring of bison effects on other resources on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.

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  More About Bison

  Learn more about bison, where you can see these majestic animals, and what the National Park Service is doing to protect them.